$11.7M awarded to community health centers in four Maine counties

Collins photo Courtesy / MEDILL DC, FLICKR; King photo Courtesy / U.S. Naval War College, FLICKR U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Angus King, I-Maine, announced Thursday that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded almost $11.7 million to four community health centers throughout Maine.

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By Staff

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded almost $11.7 million to four community health centers throughout Maine.

The funding will be awarded to Regional Medical Center in Lubec, Healthreach Community Health Centers in Waterville, Health Access Network Inc. in Lincoln, and Portland Community Health Center and is intended to improve health services and support health care professionals.

“Community health centers provide essential services and make a tremendous difference in the lives of Maine people,” U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Angus King, I-Maine, said in a joint statement. “This important investment will support these health professionals as they continue to help ensure access to top-quality care for our families, friends, and neighbors.”

Here’s how the funding will be allocated:

Regional Medical Center in Lubec: $1,276,277
Healthreach Community Health Centers in Waterville: $3,987,494.
Health Access Network Inc. in Lincoln: $2,861,773.
Portland Community Health Center received $3,542,942.

The grant funding is awarded through the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency within HHS that is tasked with improving access to health care by building healthy communities, strengthening the health care workforce, and achieving health equity. HRSA’s programs target the economic and medically vulnerable as well as the geographically isolated. The grants are awarded under HRSA’s Health Center Cluster program.

At a glance

Community health centers provide care to more than 200,000 people in Maine and are a critical part of the nation’s primary care network. Across the nation, community health centers serve approximately 26 million patients at over 10,000 sites in both rural and urban communities in every state in the nation. In 2017, community health centers were the medical home for one in twelve Americans, one in 10 children, one in six Americans living in rural areas and more than 330,000 of our nation’s veterans.