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Secretary Leavitt Announces Advance of Health Center Funds to Hurry Services to Hurricane-Affected Areas

Posted on: Friday, 9 September 2005, 18:00 CDT

WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced the federal government will speed up the award of grants to establish 26 new health center sites in areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Approximately $2.3 million in fiscal year 2005 funds to these sites will get health care resources up and running quickly in disaster areas and neighboring states treating evacuees from the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast.

"Because thousands of families and individuals are without even minimal health services in the affected areas, we want to get them on the road to recovery right now," said Secretary Leavitt. "To do that, we are moving up the initial delivery of these 26 grants to September from December as originally scheduled."

The funds will go to nine sites in Texas, five in Louisiana, four each in Florida and Oklahoma, two in Georgia and one each in Mississippi and Tennessee. The organizations that will receive the funds already won grants to create new health centers through a competitive application process, but the initial distribution of funds was set for December.

HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) manages the Consolidated Health Center Program, which funds a national network of more than 3,700 clinics comprised of community health centers, migrant health centers, health care for the homeless centers and public housing primary care centers.

"Our goal is to get services to folks who need them most. It's the old adage of 'neighbor helping neighbor' during challenging times," said Elizabeth M. Duke, HRSA administrator.

(The 26 grantees that will receive the funds were included in an April 11, 2005, HHS press release that announced the award of 105 new health centers grants to organizations across the country: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2005pres/20050411.html.)

The list of grant recipients follows New Access Point Health Center Grantees Receiving Accelerated Funding Organization City State Award Hernando County Health Department/Nature Coast Community Health Center Brooksville Fla. $650,000 Fellsmere Community Health Coalition, Inc. Fellsmere Fla. 628,684 Osceola County Health Department/Primary Care Medical Services of Poinciana Kissimmee Fla. 504,457 PanCare of Florida Panama City Fla. 650,000 Primary Care of Southwest Georgia Blakely Ga. 650,000 Valley Healthcare System, Inc. Columbus Ga. 877,555 Primary Care Providers for a Healthy Feliciana Clinton La. 650,000 Innis Community Health Center Innis La. 775,000 Primary Health Services Center Monroe La. 858,333 Catahoula Parish Hospital Sicily District No. 2 Island La. 666,667 Tensas Community Health Center St. Joseph La. 400,000 Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative Hattiesburg Miss. 733,333 Kiamichi Family Medical Center Battiest Okla. 900,000 Pushmataha Family Medical Center, Inc. Clayton Okla. 650,000 Fairfax Medical Facilities Fairfax Okla. 650,000 Community Health Connection Tulsa Okla. 650,000 Chota Community Health Services Vonore Tenn. 650,000 Shackelford County Community Resource Center Albany Texas 650,000 Alvin Community Health Endeavor Alvin Texas 650,000 Fort Worth Northside Community Health Center Fort Worth Texas 650,000 Spring Branch Community Health Center Houston Texas 650,000 Northeast Community Health Clinic Houston Texas 650,000 Fourth Ward Clinic dba Good Neighbor Healthcare Center Houston Texas 650,000 Midland Community Healthcare Services Midland Texas 650,000 Pasadena Health Center Pasadena Texas 622,550 El Centro del Barrio San Antonio Texas 271,223

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

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

CONTACT: HRSA Press Office, +1-301-443-3376

Web site: http://www.hhs.gov/

Source: PRNewswire

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