Posted on 06/19/2003 3:01:29 AM PDT by bd476
"News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, June 18, 2003 Contact: HRSA Press Office (301) 443-3376
HHS AWARDS NEARLY $11 MILLION TO HELP 19 COMMUNITIES EXTEND HEALTH CARE SERVICES TO LOW-INCOME AND UNINSURED AMERICANS
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced 19 new grants totaling nearly $11 million to help communities provide comprehensive health care services to an estimated 150,000 people, including many without health insurance.
Today's grants continue President Bush's five-year initiative to expand health centers. Launched in 2002, the initiative will add 1,200 new and expanded health center sites and increase the number of people served annually from about 10 million to 16 million by 2006.
"These grants will help to extend the health care safety net for Americans without health insurance," Secretary Thompson said. "President Bush and I are committed to expanding health centers in underserved rural and urban communities as part of our broader strategy to address the needs of Americans without health insurance."
Health centers deliver preventive and primary care to patients regardless of their ability to pay. Almost half of the patients treated at health centers have no insurance coverage, and others have inadequate coverage. Charges for health care services are set according to income, and fees are not collected from the poorest clients.
HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) manages the Consolidated Health Centers Program, which funds a national network of community health centers, migrant health centers, health care for the homeless centers and public housing primary care centers. (emphasis added)
"Since the President's initiative started, we have created hundreds of new health center sites and expanded other sites," HRSA Administrator Elizabeth M. Duke said. "We are providing access to comprehensive health care to some 2 million additional Americans, including many uninsured Americans who otherwise might not get needed care and prevention services." "
(Excerpt) Read more at hhs.gov ...
Accessible health care is important, especially in light of recent SARS, monkeypox, smallpox, anthrax and West Nile Virus concerns.
Yet I didn't know that we had the money for any of this. I wonder how they determined which communities had the highest needs. They skipped many in the short list of 19 grant winners.
Gasp... oops, I meant to say ka-ching!
Have you been a guest of any regular/private read non-county emergency rooms lately?
An interesting change in policy requires that admitting clerks ask nothing about health insurance until after the patient is seen, usually not much longer than 8 hours after said patient's first arrival. Take a number.
Strange, that makes each new health center site cost $916 bucks each. Made of cardboard? On top of that they are going to serve 6 million more people? Skipping the building project entirely that comes out to about a buck and a half per doctor visit. Must be some doctor visit, gonna really help people a whole bunch.
Must be why they do not teach math in school anymore, makes the sheeple more docile while they are getting fleeced.
I'm guessing, but the nearly $11 million granted doled out yesterday was just one fat dollop into the stew. Apparently, they started giving out this grant award fat paycheck in 2002.
"...Made of cardboard?"
LOL!
It's not much. It will not go far in helping the many uninsured or under-insured, including Senior Citizens relying on Social Security and Medicare, Veterans who no longer have home hospitals in every State, laid off citizens who are reaching the end of their COBRA insurance plans, etc.
Wouldn't you love to be a fly on the wall of the programs' administrators as they cash their salary increase checks?
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