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Urban Health Plan Receives $1.3M from Economic Stimulus Package to Increase Health Care Access in Corona, Queens

Posted on: Tuesday, 17 March 2009, 09:52 CDT

NEW YORK, March 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Urban Health Plan, a network of federally qualified community health centers, received $1.3 million in funding from the Economic Stimulus Package (the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) to provide primary and specialty health care in Corona, Queens.

Paloma Izquierdo-Hernandez, President and CEO of Urban Health Plan said, "We are pleased to receive Economic Stimulus Package funding from the federal government. The funding is important to all of us because it demonstrates recognition for the role community health centers have in the nation's health care delivery system. We provide cost effective, quality health care to medically underserved communities that often lack access to care. This funding will enable us to serve the growing number of medically uninsured children and adults in Queens," said Ms. Hernandez.

The stimulus package funding will be used to create primary and specialty care for 4,000 residents of Corona, Jackson Heights, Lefrak City and Elmhurst in Queens at UHP's new health center Plaza del Sol. At capacity, in year two, the center will care for 8,000 community residents. Plaza del Sol is expected to outgrow its 15,000 square foot space within one year.

Urban Health Plan (UHP) is a federally qualified community health center based in the South Bronx that has expanded to Corona in Queens County. Its mission is to improve the health status of underserved communities. In 2008, UHP served 31,000 patients through 171,000 patient visits. It has served the Hunts Point, Mott Haven and other surrounding communities of the Bronx since 1974.

Over the years, UHP has developed many strategic health improvement initiatives aimed at improving the health Bronx residents, including a robust performance improvement program, improved maternal and child health, a nationally acclaimed asthma management program, HIV/AIDS care, mental health and substance abuse treatment and recovery programs, among others.

As a federally qualified health center, UHP plays a vital role in providing health services to the borough's large poor and medically underserved populations who often have difficulty accessing quality health care. UHP is dedicated to providing care in a culturally competent, barrier-free, individualized, and family-oriented manner, with an emphasis on prevention through education and the provision of state-of-the-art services.

Contact: Robin West (718) 589-1687 x 2802; Cell: 347-203-8489 robin.west@urbanhealthplan.org

SOURCE Urban Health Plan, Inc.

Source: PR Newswire

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