Providence, RI – In an effort to address pressing renovation needs in community health centers, and expand access to quality health care, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Representatives Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced over $6 million in federal funding from the Affordable Care Act for Rhode Island. The funds will be used to improve facilities and expand capacity at community health centers in Coventry, Wakefield, West Warwick, and the East Bay, and will help the centers serve an estimated 2,700 new patients.
“This federal funding will help local community health centers expand and provide more patients with comprehensive, cost-effective health care. This is a smart investment in bringing jobs to Rhode Island and increasing access to quality, affordable medical and dental care,” said Reed.
“Community health centers provide vital health services, especially during these tough economic times when many Rhode Islanders are struggling to make ends meet,” said Whitehouse. “This federal funding will help our community health centers provide more Rhode Islanders with access to care, and support badly needed jobs by upgrading these facilities.”
“Community Health Centers are an invaluable resource for many who are struggling with the high costs of health care,” said Langevin. “They offer access to preventive care, helping recipients avoid more serious and costly procedures that burden the patients and the entire system. We are fortunate in Rhode Island to have outstanding leadership at facilities like Thundermist and Comprehensive Community Action and this funding will allow them to better serve Rhode Islanders who couldn’t otherwise afford the treatments they need.”
“These federal funds will help Rhode Island community health centers sustain and expand much-needed services for hardworking families,” said Cicilline. “At a time when so many Rhode Islanders are still struggling, these resources will help create jobs upgrading facilities, while improving health care access for more patients throughout the state.”
The funding will be awarded as follows:
- East Bay Community Action Program: $500,000 for immediate facility improvements.
- Thundermist Health Center: $5 million for new construction on their Wakefield site to expand capacity to provide health services, and $228,812 for improvements to their West Warwick dental facility.
- Comprehensive Community Action, Inc.: $500,000 for facility improvements to the Coventry Family Health Center.
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