Every day, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is helping to get the U.S. economy growing again-- from construction work to community health, and from public safety to support for our national parks.
Construction One of the latest examples in Hawaii is the work that has begun at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Economic recovery funding has enabled an Aiea, Hawaii company to begin repair work at a U.S. Navy wharf for submarines docked at Pearl Harbor. It’s the Navy engineering command’s first ARRA-funded project which was awarded on April 24 to Healy Tibbitts Builders, Inc. of Aiea, Hawaii for $10.6M under a multiple award construction contract to repair Wharf Sierra 1. The contractor will make repairs to concrete support piles and superstructure, as well as the fender system that protects submarines while they are docked at the wharf. The Sierra 1 fender system is currently in a very deteriorated state.
Photo: Healy Tibbitts' dual cycle floating crane, the Weeks 544, extracts a concrete pile as part of the demolition and removal of Wharf Sierra 1's existing fendering system. This work is being executed to prepare the site for installation of a brand new fendering system which will support berthing activities for fast attack submarines.
Community health centers Elsewhere, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says more than $25.7 million in grants to increase and improve health and support services at the nation's health centers.
This funding will provide $200,000 to help Kokua Kalihi Valley community health center on Oahu to pay for dental and mental health services at a time when the state is cutting back on its support of the centers in those areas.
“These grants could not be coming at a better time,” Secretary Sebelius said. “With more than 14.5 million Americans out of work, and 47 million without health insurance, the health centers are seeing more patients now than ever before.”
Overseen by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) at HHS, the Health Center system served more than 17 million medically underserved people in 2008, up from 10 million patients served in 2001. Since the economic downturn began, the health center patient population has grown by another one million people – a third of them children. By law, patients are accepted regardless of their ability to pay.
A total of 180 grants worth more than $21.9 million will give existing health centers the funds to add or increase mental health/substance abuse, enabling (i.e., outreach, transportation, case management services), oral health or pharmacy services. Additionally, 48 planning grants totaling more than $3.8 million will be distributed to organizations in hard hit areas that do not have health centers to help them develop new service delivery sites. New health center sites must meet federal requirements for governance, community involvement, quality of care and financial feasibility.
HRSA’s Health Center Program funds a national network of more than 1,100 community, migrant, homeless and public housing health center grantees. These organizations provide health care at more than 7,500 clinical sites, ranging from large medical facilities to mobile vans. In FY 2009, more than $2.1 billion was appropriated to support the Health Center Program.
Also on Oahu, a nursing position at the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center is covered with economic recovery act funding. That’s because the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services this month released $13.4 million for loan repayments to nurses who agree to practice in facilities with critical shortages and for schools of nursing to provide loans to students who will become nurse faculty. The funds were made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), signed Feb. 17, 2009, by President Obama.
“The need for more nurses is great. Over the next decade, nurse retirements and an aging U.S. population, among other factors, will create the need for hundreds of thousands of new nurses,” Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Bill Corr said. “The awards from these two HRSA programs will help us meet projected demand for their services.”
The awards come from two programs administered by HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA): the Nurse Education Loan Repayment Program and the Nurse Faculty Loan Program.
New Honolulu police positions Honolulu's police chief welcomes economic recovery dollars for new positions. more>
New national parks jobs Economic recovery funds creating 40-50 jobs at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. more>
