HHS awards $1.7 million to 27 community health centers across Virginia

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 Centers Week, HHS, through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), provided $1,768,500 in US bailout funding to the 27 community health centers to advance health equity through better data collection and reporting.

President Biden recently released a proclamation of National Health Center Week 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 among communities of color and other underserved populations.

“We have prioritized promoting equity in our response to COVID-19 and in all of our work,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said. “Community health centers have played a central role in the country’s response to COVID-19 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 to better identify and meet the specific needs of patients and communities through better data quality; advancing COVID-19 response, mitigation and recovery efforts; and help prepare for future public health emergencies.

“Time and time again, the COVID pandemic has demonstrated the vital role of trusted community leaders in the delivery of health care services,” said HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson. “Health centers are that trusted resource in the most at-risk and hard-hit communities in the country. As we recognize the heroic work of frontline healthcare workers who make healthcare centers what they are, today we are also investing in the tools they need to help them continue to better serve their communities.

In 2021, HRSA-funded health centers provided care to one in five people in rural areas and one in 11 nationwide. One in three patients in a health center lives in poverty and nearly two-thirds belong to racial/ethnic minorities.

Click here to view an interactive map of the winners, including a state-by-state breakdown

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