Hagan Celebrates Prospect Hill Health Center Opening; Announces $1.4M for Community Health Centers in Eastern NC
National Health Center Week runs from Aug. 7-13
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Hagan at Prospect Hill Community Health Center.
Greensboro, N.C. – In Celebration of National Health Center Week, U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan (NC) today keynoted the opening of the new Prospect Hill Community Health Center in Caswell County. The new facility is located next to the original building, which opened in 1970 as North Carolina’s first health center, serving just 15 patients a day. Today, the facility serves more than 100 patients daily and is one of 173 community health centers in the state that ensures affordable health care is available to all North Carolina families.
Hagan also announced $1.4 million in federal grant funding for two North Carolina community health centers in eastern North Carolina. The “New Access Point” grants will support some of the state’s most underserved communities by establishing new full-time health service delivery sites that provide comprehensive primary and preventive health care services.
Greene County Health Care Incorporated in Snow Hill is receiving $841,167 in grants. Albemarle Hospital Authority in Elizabeth City is receiving $541,667, and will use the funding to construct the new Gateway Community Health Center in Gates County to serve patients in Gates, Chowan, and Perquimans counties.
“Particularly during these trying economic times, North Carolina’s community health centers ensure that our most underserved communities can access affordable health care services,” said Hagan, who serves on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. “Furthermore, by helping patients avoid emergency rooms and encouraging better use of preventive services, community health centers across the country save our national health care system between $9.9 billion and $17.6 billion a year. As we celebrate National Health Center Week, this important grant funding will help close the health care accessibility gap in our state.”
“Gates, Chowan, and Perquimans counties will truly benefit from funding to support a sliding fee scale for health services for low income residents,” said Colleen Turner, the new Gateway Community Health Centers, Inc. Co-Applicant Board President. “Gateway CHC, Inc. will also increase access by recruiting additional medical providers and medical support services for our communities. We have been working toward this goal for several years and we are grateful to see our collaboration reach fruition.”
Community health centers serve 23 million people nationally. Ninety-three precent of health center patients nationwide live below 200% of the poverty line, which is less than $44,000 a year for a family of four. Close to half of the patients also do not have health insurance.
Source: http://hagan.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=1377