East Jordan, MI. On April 8, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), awarded more than $1.3 billion to 1,387 health centers as part of a historic U.S. response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
“This new funding secured by President Trump will help our community health centers continue the work they’re doing on the ground against the coronavirus,” said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. “HRSA-funded health centers are already playing a critical role by delivering essential services, serving as community testing and screening sites, and alleviating burdens on our nation’s emergency rooms and hospitals. HHS will continue bringing every resource we have to support heroic healthcare workers across the diverse settings health centers serve, from our cities to our rural towns.”
Only three Health Centers in Northwest Michigan received HRSA CARES grant funding totally $1,891,920. East Jordan Family Health Center is proud to announced they are the recipient of $638,300 of this grant monies. The funding supports health centers’ ability to detect, prevent, diagnose, and treat COVID-19. The awards will also help maintain or increase health center capacity and staff.
The ability to protect our community while maintaining our staff during this time is important to continue providing quality healthcare services during this unpreceded health emergency. The East Jordan Family Health Center is currently developing a telemedicine program to allow access to healthcare both during the State of Michigan “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order and in the future. Rural Patients will be able to access their providers without transportation or accessibility concerns.
“HRSA-funded health centers are part of the backbone of our nation’s health care system, serving 1 in 12 people nationwide,” said HRSA Administrator Tom Engels. “Increasingly, people are turning to health centers for the first line of defense in combating emergency public health priorities like the novel coronavirus. Health centers will put these resources to immediate use to respond to emerging and evolving local needs and continue to deliver high quality primary health care services to their patients.”
HRSA funds nearly 1,400 health centers that operate in nearly 13,000 locations nationwide. Health centers deliver care to the nation’s most vulnerable individuals and families, including people experiencing homelessness, agricultural workers, residents of public housing, and our nation’s veterans. Led by patient-majority boards, these health centers provide affordable, accessible, and quality primary health care to over 28 million people a year, regardless of their ability to pay.
