Community Health Centers Get Boost From Federal Stimulus Funds
Nearly 1,200 community health centers nationwide have received a boost of funding from the federal economic stimulus package, which is helping some of the facilities that were on the verge of closing remain open and continue treating low-income and uninsured patients, PBS' "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" reports.
The stimulus package provides a total of $20 billion for clinics to maintain and increase services.
More people are seeking care at such facilities as they lose their jobs and employer-sponsored health insurance as a result of the economic recession.
At the same time, funding for the centers has dropped because of cutbacks in state and local funding and lower not-for-profit donations and grants.
"NewsHour" profiles community health centers in Lorain, Ohio, which likely would have closed without the additional funds from the economic stimulus package (Bowser, "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," PBS, 5/26).
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