Health clinics awarded $500 million in ACA funding to expand PC services

The HHS has granted almost $500 million in Affordable Care Act funding to help health care centers nationwide provide primary care services to the most in-need populations, according to a press release.

Roughly $350 million in funding will go toward increased access to medical, oral, behavioral, pharmacy and vision care services across 1,184 health centers. The other $150 million will go to facility renovation, expansion and construction to help increase patient and service capacity in 160 health care centers.

According to the release, the funds may also be used to aid in outreach or enrollment activities that help individuals find health insurance that fits their medical needs and budget.

The funding comes as part of the Health Infrastructure Investment Program, which aims to expand and improve health care centers by renovating or adding additional clinical space. These changes allow health care centers to best meet the needs of their communities, according to the release.

“These awards will give 1.4 million more Americans across every state access to comprehensive, quality health care. With these awards, health centers will be able to do things like increase their hours of operation, hire more behavioral health providers, add dental facilities, better treat patients with opioid use disorders, and help people get coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace and make the journey from coverage to primary care,” Sylvia M. Burwell, HHS secretary, said in the release.