$169 Million Available for 266 Community Health Centers
The money is available for the delivery of comprehensive primary health care services in communities that need them most.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is making $169 million in Affordable Care Act funding available to 266 new health center sites in 46 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico for the "delivery of comprehensive primary health care services in communities that need them most," in the agency's words.
New health center sites are projected to increase access to health care services for more than 1.2 million patients.
"Across the country, health centers have provided a source of high-quality primary care for people in rural and urban communities for 50 years," said Acting Deputy Secretary Mary Wakefield. "These Affordable Care Act funds build on the strong legacy of the health center program and provide even more individuals and families with access to the care they need the most."
According to HHS, this investment will add to the more than 700 new health center sites that have opened as a result of the act. The effort began with one clinic in rural Mississippi and another in South Boston and has grown into a national program that supports 1,300 community-based and patient-directed health centers with 9,000 sites serving nearly 23 million people.