HAMPTON ROADS, Va. - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded $1.7 million to 27 community health centers across Virginia.
During National Health Center Week, HHS, through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), awarded $1,768,500 in American Rescue Plan funding to the 27 community health centers to advance health equity through better data collection and reporting.
President Biden recently issued a proclamation on National Health Center Week to recognize the vital role health centers play in safeguarding the well-being of Americans and honor the heroic staff who keep these facilities running.
According to the Biden-Harris Administration, these awards will help strengthen efforts to eliminate inequities in COVID-19 care and outcomes within communities of color and other underserved populations.
“We have prioritized advancing equity in our COVID-19 response and throughout all of our work,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Community health centers have played a pivotal role in the nation’s COVID-19 response, and now serve more than 30 million people across the country. Today’s investments will help ensure that all patients have equitable access to the high-quality health care they deserve.”
They say the funding supports a data modernization effort aimed at better identifying and responding to the specific needs of patients and communities through improved data quality; advancing COVID-19 response, mitigation, and recovery efforts; and helping prepare for future public health emergencies.
“Time and again, the COVID pandemic has demonstrated the vital role of trusted community leaders in delivering health care services,” said HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson. “Health centers are that trusted resource in the highest risk and hardest hit communities in the country. As we recognize the heroic work of the frontline health care workers who make health centers what they are, today we also are investing in the tools they need to help them continue to best serve their communities.”
In 2021, HRSA-funded health centers provided care for one-in-five residents in rural areas and one-in-eleven people nationwide. One-in-three health center patients are living in poverty, and nearly two-thirds are racial/ethnic minorities.
Click here to view an interactive map of award recipients, including a state-by-state breakdown
