Senator Warner joined the White House today in announcing that five health care centers in Virginia will receive a piece of the $155 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that will be used to support 126 community health centers across the U.S.

The five Virginia health centers -- which help provide comprehensive primary and preventative health care services to more than 24,000 uninsured and medically-underserved Virginians -- will receive a total of $5,763,749 to help cover operating and personnel costs:  

• $1.3 million has been awarded to the Vernon J. Harris Health Center in East Richmond, one of VCU’s HIV/AIDS Centers; 
• $1.3 million to the Loudoun Community Health Center, which serves Loudoun County residents regardless of ability to pay or insurance;
• $1.3 million to the Central Virginia Health Services, to help open a new community health center in Caroline County;
• $1.09 million to the Greater Prince William Community Health Center, which provides primary health care services to families in the outer Northern Virginia suburbs;  
• $766,000 to the Daily Planet, a shelter which provides services to the homeless population in the Richmond area.  

“These projects will help create an estimated 180 new jobs, and these one-time funds also will help strengthen Virginia’s public health infrastructure for many of those people who need it the most,” Senator Warner said. 

Throughout his career, Senator Warner has focused on issues of public health and health care reform:

• Before he was Governor, he co-founded the Virginia Health Care Foundation, which has provided assistance to more than 600,000 under-and-un-insured Virginians since its founding;
• After his mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, he launched SeniorNavigator.com, an on-line information and referral network for older Virginians and their caregivers; 
• As Governor, he was nationally recognized for turning-around Virginia’s underperforming FAMIS/SCHIP children’s health insurance program;
• And as Chairman of the National Governor’s  Association, he brokered bipartisan consensus with 46 governors on proposed reforms to the Medicare program.