Government
Community health center funding gets boost
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Aug. 31, 2009
Dept. of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced on Aug. 23 that the federal government was awarding more than $25.7 million in grants to help increase and improve services at the nation's community health centers.
The federally certified health center system, which is overseen by the Health Resources and Services Administration at HHS, treated more than 17 million medically underserved people in 2008, up from 10 million patients in 2001. By law, patients are accepted regardless of their ability to pay.
A total of 180 grants worth more than $21.9 million will give existing health centers the funds to boost the amount of available services, including in the areas of mental health, substance abuse, case management, oral health and pharmacy. In addition, 48 planning grants totaling more than $3.8 million will be distributed to organizations in areas that do not have health centers to help them develop new service delivery sites.
"These grants could not be coming at a better time," Sebelius said in a statement. "With more than 14.5 million Americans out of work, and 47 million without health insurance, the health centers are seeing more patients now than ever before."
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/08/31/gvbf0831.htm.
