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Washington, D.C. – Congressman Pete Visclosky today announced that community health centers in Northwest Indiana will receive $1,269,452 in grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NorthShore Health Centers will receive $968,841 and East Chicago Community Health Center will receive $300,611.
“Everybody deserves access to quality, affordable healthcare,” said Visclsoky. “Northwest Indiana’s community health centers offer a critical service by providing excellent care to the region’s under- and uninsured. Without them, a lot less people would have access to the care they need.”
The Department of Health and Human Services awarded the grants through the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Consolidated Health Centers program. The program is intended to improve the health of the nation's under- and uninsured by assuring access to comprehensive, quality healthcare. Specifically, the funding will be used to improve the availability and accessibility of primary care services.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, an average of 732,000 people in Indiana, about 11 percent of the state’s population, had no health insurance during 2006 and 2007. Nationwide, the number of Americans living without health insurance was 45.7 million. Community health centers serve those under- and uninsured people through efforts to overcome the many impediments they face while trying to access healthcare. For example, centers may operate extended hours to accommodate patients’ work schedules and charge a sliding fee scale so that patients can afford to get the care they need.
“Our healthcare crisis is a huge burden on our struggling economy,” said Visclosky. “We need to build on the good work done at community health centers to make healthcare secure and affordable for everyone.” |
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