HHS awards $1 million to Alabama community health centers
Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), awarded $1,048,000 in American Rescue Plan funding to 16 community health centers in Alabama to advance health equity through better data collection and reporting. On Friday, August 5, President Joe Biden issued a proclamation on National Health Center Week to recognize the vital role health centers play in safeguarding the well-being of Americans. These awards will help strengthen efforts to eliminate inequities in COVID-19 care and outcomes within communities of color and other underserved populations. The nearly $90 million in funding also builds on the $7.6 billion invested from the American Rescue Plan to strengthen the health center workforce, renovate facilities, and equip them with essential COVID-19 medical supplies over the past year. “We have prioritized advancing equity in our COVID-19 response and throughout all of our work,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Community health centers have played a pivotal role in the nation’s COVID-19 response, and now serve more than 30 million people across the country. Today’s investments will help ensure that all patients have equitable access to the high-quality health care they deserve.” HRSA’s initiative is designed to enable health centers to have better data on both patient health status and social determinants of health. With better information, programs can tailor their efforts to improve health outcomes and advance health equity by more precisely targeting the needs of specific communities or patients, particularly as part of the public health emergency response. “Time and again, the COVID pandemic has demonstrated the vital role of trusted community leaders in delivering health care services,” said HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson. “Health centers are that trusted resource in the highest risk and hardest hit communities in the country. As we recognize the heroic work of the frontline health care workers who make health centers what they are, today we also are investing in the tools they need to help them continue to best serve their communities.” The nearly 1,400 HRSA-funded community health centers in the U.S. serve as a national source of primary care in underserved communities. They are community-based and patient-directed organizations that deliver affordable, accessible, and high-quality medical, dental, and behavioral health services to more than 30 million patients each year, with specific initiatives intended to reach people experiencing homelessness, agricultural workers, and residents of public housing. The following centers will receive funding in Alabama. ALABAMA REGIONAL MEDICAL SERVICES BIRMINGHAM AL $65,500 ALETHEIA HOUSE, INC. BIRMINGHAM AL $65,500 CHRIST HEALTH CENTER, INC. BIRMINGHAM AL $65,500 CAHABA MEDICAL CARE FOUNDATION CENTREVILLE AL $65,500 QUALITY OF LIFE HEALTH SERVICES INC GADSDEN AL $65,500 AIDS ACTION COALITION OF HUNTSVILLE HUNTSVILLE AL $65,500 CENTRAL NORTH ALABAMA HEALTH SERVICES, INC. HUNTSVILLE AL $65,500 BAYOU LA BATRE AREA HEALTH DEVELOPMENT BOARD, INC IRVINGTON AL $65,500 ALTAPOINTE HEALTH SYSTEMS, INC. MOBILE AL $65,500 FRANKLIN PRIMARY HEALTH CENTER, INC. MOBILE AL $65,500 MOBILE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH MOBILE AL $65,500 CAPSTONE RURAL HEALTH CENTER, THE PARRISH AL $65,500 NORTHEAST ALABAMA HEALTH SERVICES, INC. SCOTTSBORO AL $65,500 RURAL HEALTH MEDICAL PROGRAM, INC. SELMA AL $65,500 SOUTHEAST ALABAMA RURAL HEALTH ASSOCIATES TROY AL $65,500 Health Center Program Look-Alikes Organization City State Amount HAPPI HEALTH HUNTSVILLE AL $65,500
17 centers throughout state offered over $92 million for COVID testing, treatment, and vaccinations
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today funding from the American Rescue Plan for Covid-19 response. Seventeen community health centers in Alabama will receive $92,762,875 to support COVID-19 vaccinations and health services to vulnerable populations. The funding will be awarded in April by the Health Resources and Services Administration. According to the press release, health centers can use the funds to expand vaccinations, testing, and treatment for vulnerable populations. It can also be used to help provide health services to those at higher risk of covid-19, and help expand the operational capacity of health centers that are offering services during the pandemic. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra stated, “Every American should have the security of knowing they have access to quality, affordable health care, especially as we face a pandemic that has exposed the disparities facing rural, minority, and lower-income communities. The Biden Administration is committed to getting help to those who need it most, and the communities hit hardest by COVID-19 will benefit from these critical investments.” The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary federal agency for improving health care to people who are geographically isolated and economically or medically vulnerable. HRSA funded health centers deliver affordable health care to medically underserved communities and vulnerable populations. They serve 1 in 5 people living in rural communities, and 1 in 11 people nationwide. For more information on vaccine distribution in Alabama, visit the HRSA website.
