WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner today announced that Virginia has received almost $30 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to increase capacity at five community health centers serving the uninsured and underinsured.  

The grants were awarded to Central Virginia Health Services in New Canton, Eastern Shore Rural Health System in Nassawadox, Kuumba Community Health and Wellness Center in Roanoke, and Harrisonburg Community Health Center.  Details on the specific awards can be found below.

“Community health centers are crucial in providing a safety net for Virginians who wouldn’t otherwise have the means to see a primary care doctor or seek preventive care,” said Senator Webb.  “This investment puts the money exactly where the need is.”

“These grants will generate 210 construction jobs in the near-term and also allow the community health centers to provide quality health services to an additional 15,000 Virginians who currently have no health care coverage,” said Senator Warner. 

These Capital Development program grants are the first in a series to be awarded to community health centers under the Affordable Care Act, in addition to more than $2 billion invested in community health centers through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. 

Community health centers serve patients regardless of their insurance status and ability to pay, and provide services on a sliding pay scale. Virginia’s community health organizations provide 220,000 people with health care annually and employ more than 700 people full time. Nationally, it has been estimated that community health centers save the U.S. health care system more than $24 billion a year.