HRSA News - HHS Awards $16M in Third Round of CHC Grants

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, May 16, 2002

Contact:

HRSA Press Office
(301) 443-3376

HHS AWARDS $16.1 MILLION TO 28 HEALTH CENTERS
TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE SERVICES

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced 28 grants totaling almost $16.1 million to expand access to health care services for Americans in rural and inner-city areas as part of President Bush’s long-term strategy to expand community-based health centers nationwide. Today’s awards will expand access to comprehensive primary and preventive health services to more than 163,000 Americans in 20 states.

“By expanding services at these health centers, we are strengthening the health care safety net for people without health insurance and others living where health care providers remain scarce,” Secretary Thompson said. “Community-based health centers are the backbone of our nation’s health care safety net, and we are committed to doubling the number of patients they serve.”

Today’s awards represent the third round of expansion grants this year under the Bush Administration’s long-term plan to add 1,200 new and expanded health center sites over five years and ultimately double the number of patients treated at them. For fiscal year 2003, the President’s budget requests $1.5 billion for health centers -- a $114 million increase that would provide services to a million additional patients. Nearly half of the patients treated at health centers have no insurance coverage, and many others have inadequate coverage.

Today’s grants are part of the Consolidated Health Center Program, which funds a national network of community health centers, migrant health centers, health care for the homeless centers, public housing primary care centers and school-based health centers. HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) oversees the program.

Community health centers, the largest part of the program, received 21 of the grants announced today. The other awards include:

two Health Care for the Homeless grants to support critical services for over 4,700 homeless individuals and families;

two Public Housing Primary Care Program grants, which will provide primary care, mental health, oral health and outreach services to 6,700 residents of public housing; and

three Healthy Schools, Healthy Communities Program grants to support full-service school-based health centers that provide access to comprehensive primary health care services, including mental and oral health services, to 12,400 students and their families.

A fourth and final round of fiscal year 2002 health center grants is expected to be announced this summer. Once completed, HHS will have invested $165 million this year in 260 new and expanded health centers capable of serving an additional 1.25 million people.

The list of today’s grant recipients is below.

Fiscal Year 2002 Health Center New Access Point Grants
Organization	City	State	Award
El Rio Santa Cruz Neighborhood Health Center (CHC)	Tucson	Ariz.	$802,217
Mountain Valleys Health Centers, Inc. (CHC)	Bieber	Calif.	600,000
The Children's Clinic Family Health Center (HSHC)	Long Beach	Calif.	300,000
South Central Family Health Center (CHC)	Los Angeles	Calif.	650,000
Southwest Community Health Center, Inc. (CHC)	Santa Rosa	Calif.	650,000
East Hartford Community HealthCare, Inc. (CHC)	East Hartford	Conn.	617,500
Economic Opportunity Family Health Center (CHC)	Miami	Fla.	782,482
Community Health Care Systems, Inc. (CHC)	Wrightsville	Ga.	550,000
Access Community Health Network (PHPC)	Chicago	Ill.	400,000
Mapleton Fall Creek Christian Health Center (CHC)	Indianapolis	Ind.	617,955
Community Health Care, Inc. (CHC)	Davenport	Iowa	816,667
Hazard Perry County Community Ministries, Inc. (HCH)	Hazard	Ky.	630,840
Tri-State Community Health Center (CHC)	Hancock	Md.	750,000
Lynn Community Health Center (CHC)	Lynn	Mass.	787,500
Urban Health Plan, Inc. (HSHC)	Bronx	N.Y.	200,000
The Floating Hospital (HCH)	New York	N.Y.	637,500
Hudson River HealthCare (CHC)	Peekskill	N.Y.	784,167
Kiamichi Family Medical Center, Inc. (CHC)	Battiest	Okla.	466,200
La Clinica del Valle (CHC)	Medford	Ore.	541,800
Ochoco Community Clinic (CHC)	Prineville	Ore.	610,992
Northwest Human Services, Inc. (CHC)	Salem	Ore.	637,430
Resources for Human Development, Inc. (PHPC)	Philadelphia	Pa.	375,000
St. James-Santee Family Health Center, Inc. (CHC)	McClellanville	S.C.	335,416
Beaufort Jasper Hampton Community Health (HSHC)	Ridgeland	S.C.	300,000
Rapid City Community Health Center, Inc. (CHC)	Rapid City	S.D.	783,333
Hardeman County Community Health Center (CHC)	Bolivar	Tenn.	192,445
Fort Bend Family Health Center, Inc. (CHC)	Richmond	Texas	650,000
The Richford Health Center, Inc. (CHC)	Richford	Vt.	617,500
TOTAL:			$16,086,944

CHC = Community Health Center Program
HCH = Health Care for the Homeless Program
PHPC = Public Housing Primary Care Program
HSHC = Healthy Schools, Healthy Communities Program

Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at
http://www.hhs.gov/news

Fiscal Year 2002 Health Center New Access Point Grants

Award