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Washington, D.C. – Congressman Pete Visclosky today announced that Northwest Indiana’s five community health centers will jointly purchase medical equipment in order to continue to provide critical healthcare to the region’s uninsured and under-insured. The community health centers provide important access to quality healthcare for people who would otherwise struggle to find the treatments they need.
“Every American deserves access to quality healthcare, and community health centers provide a vital service to those in Northwest Indiana who otherwise wouldn’t be able to secure the care they need to live healthy, productive lives,” said Visclosky. “Quality healthcare at an affordable price should be available to every citizen in this country, and community health centers help make it available to the people who need it most.”
“I am really thrilled with the attention that Congressman Visclosky gives to healthcare,” said NorthShore Health Centers CEO Janice Wilson. “By providing grants like this to all the centers in the region, it helps us to better serve the uninsured and under-insured, especially in this economic crisis. He is the champion of healthcare in Northwest Indiana.”
By jointly purchasing important medical equipment, Northwest Indiana’s five community health centers will be able to leverage group purchasing power and defray costs. Community health centers serve the uninsured and under-insured through efforts to overcome the many impediments people face while trying to access healthcare. The centers 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. By increasing access to quality care and keeping people healthy, the community health centers enable people to stay in the workforce, engage in economic activity, and lead productive lives. There are an estimated 77,000 uninsured individuals in Northwest Indiana.
Northwest Indiana’s five community health centers are East Chicago Community Health Center, Gary Community Health Center, Hilltop Community Health Center in Valparaiso, NorthShore Community Health Center – Lake Station, and NorthShore Community Health Center – Portage. They will utilize a $377,190 grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration that Visclosky secured in the Fiscal Year 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act. |
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