It started with a clinic in rural Mississippi and another in South Boston, and now community-based and patient-directed health centers provide primary care to 1 in 14 people living in the U.S., according to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). “Health centers have provided a source of high-quality primary care for people in rural and urban communities for 50 years,” said HHS Acting Deputy Secretary Mary Wakefield, PhD, RN.
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During the National Health Center Week last month, HHS announced an additional $169 million in Affordable Care Act (ACA) funding for 266 new community health centers. The funding builds on the $101 million awarded to 164 new health centers in May.
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More than 700 health centers have opened as a result of the ACA. The new sites are projected to increase access to health care services for more than 1.2 million patients. The HRSA Acting Administrator Jim Macrae said, “These awards mean that more communities than ever can count on a health center to help meet the increasing demand for primary care.”
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