Priorities

ARRASenator Warner announced this week that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released more than $13.5 million in grants from the economic recovery package to 24 community health centers in Virginia to maintain facilities and improve services.

The grants will be used to address immediate facility and equipment needs for these communities centers, which serve an increasing number of underinsured Virginians. 

Senator Warner said of the grants:

"These grants will help our community health centers continue to expand access to quality health care services for Virginians who don’t have health coverage. These projects also will help us create or preserve health care provider jobs, especially in many of our rural areas."

Here are Virginia's grant recipients, by region:

NORTHERN VIRGINIA  
Alexandria Neighborhood Health Services, Inc. (Alexandria) $574,590
Loudoun Community Health Center (Leesburg) $250,000
Greater Prince William Community Health Center (Woodbridge) $250,000

RICHMOND AND SURROUNDING AREAS
 
Daily Planet (Richmond) $368,230
Vernon J. Harris East End CHC (Richmond) $567,590

TIDEWATER
 
Eastern Shore Rural Health System, Inc. (Nassawadox) $1,100,570
Peninsula Institute for Community Health (Newport News) $971,455
Portsmouth Community Health Center, Inc. (Portsmouth) $520,305
Stony Creek Community Health Center (Stony Creek) $96,445
Horizon Health Services, Inc. (Ivor) $365,710

SOUTHSIDE
 
Boydton Community Health Facility, Inc. (Boydton) $330,410
Piedmont Access to Health Services (Paths) (Danville) $468,015
Central Virginia Health Services (New Canton) $1,704,040
Southern Dominion Health Systems, Inc. (Victoria) $705,700

CENTRAL VIRGINIA
 
Johnson Health Center (Lynchburg) $763,275
Blue Ridge Medical Center, Inc. (Arrington) $573,925

SHENANDOAH VALLEY
 
Harrisonburg Community Health Center, Inc. (Harrisonburg) $240,839
Highland Medical Center, Inc. (Monterey) $310,480

ROANOKE & SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA
 
Bland County Medical Clinic, Inc. (Bastian) $159,956
Clinch River Health Services, Inc. (Dungannon) $344,955
Laurel Fork Health Commission, Inc. (Laurel Fork) $493,355
Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems, Inc. (Saltville) $766,950
St. Charles Health Council, Inc. (St. Charles) $965,715
Kuumba Comm. Health & Wellness Center (Roanoke) $345,620.

This is the third investment into Virginia's community health centers from the stimulus package.  On March 31, $5.2 million was released to these 24 facilities to create and save staff positions.  An additional $5.76 million was made available to start-up five new health centers on May 19.