HHS Awards Nearly $1 Billion to 1,300 Health Centers, Supporting Health Equity
According to a Sept. 28 press release, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded nearly $1 billion in American Rescue Plan funding to nearly 1,300 Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Health Center program-funded health centers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories. The $1 billion will support major healthcare construction and renovation projects.
The release states that “These awards will strengthen our primary healthcare infrastructure and advance health equity and health outcomes in medically underserved communities, including through projects that support COVID-19 testing, treatment, and vaccination. The awards were made through the Health Resources and Services Administration.”
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra was quoted in the release saying that “Health centers are lifelines for many of our most vulnerable families across the country, especially amidst the pandemic. Thanks to American Rescue Plan funds, we’re modernizing facilities across the country to better meet the most pressing public health challenges associated with COVID-19. This historic investment means we get to expand access to care for COVID-19 testing, treatment and vaccination—all with an eye towards advancing equity.”
Further, “Health centers will use this funding for COVID-19-related capital needs, constructing new facilities, renovating and expanding existing facilities to enhance response to pandemics, and purchasing new state-of-the-art equipment, including telehealth technology, mobile medical vans, and freezers to store vaccines.”
The funds will be awarded to health centers that provide care to underserved and vulnerable populations that are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and other health conditions. Constructing, renovating, and expanding facilities will ensure that these communities will have more equitable access to high-quality primary healthcare. More than 91 percent of health center patients are individuals or families that are living at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines and 63 percent are minorities.
