newjerseynewsroom.com

Affordable Care Act money for expansion, improvements

BY TOM HESTER SR.

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Seven New Jersey community health centers will share $18,086,274 in aid due to the federal Affordable Care Act, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced.

Community Health Care Inc. of Bridgeton will receive $5,495,657, Monmouth Family Health Center of Long Branch $3,470,095, Project H.O.P.E. Inc. of Camden $4,725,163, Southern Jersey Family of Hammonton $3,118,999, Henry J. Austin Health Center of Trenton $295,606, Newark City Health and Human Services of Newark $498,800, and Zufall Health Center Inc. of Dover $481,954.

The aid will help the centers serve approximately 17,450 new patients.

Funding totaling more than $728 million across the United States is deigned to support renovation and construction projects and boost health centers’ ability to care for additional patients.

The awards are part of a series of capital investments that are made available to community health centers through the Affordable Care Act, which provides $9.5 billion to expand services over five years and $1.5 billion to support major construction and renovation projects at community health centers.

According to a new report released Tuesday, the health care law has supported the construction and renovation of 190 health center sites and the creation of 67 new health center sites across the country, and will support the construction and renovation of more than 485 health center sites and the creation of 245 new health center sites over the next two years.

Overall, since the beginning of 2009, employment at community health centers nationwide has increased by 15 percent according t the report. Community health centers are serving nearly 3 million additional patients and will serve an additional 1.3 million additional new patients in the next two years.

“President Obama’s health care law is making community health centers in New Jersey stronger,” U.S. Health and Human Service Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said. “For many Americans, community health centers are the major source of care that ranges from prevention to treatment of chronic diseases. This investment will expand our ability to provide high-quality care to millions of people while supporting good paying jobs in communities across the country.”

The aid is from two capital programs for community health centers. One will provide approximately $629 million to 171 existing health centers across the country for longer-term improvement projects. The program s designed to expand access to an additional 860,000 patients. The second set of aid will provide approximately $99.3 million to 227 existing health centers to address pressing facility and equipment needs.

Currently, more than 8,500 service delivery sites around the country deliver care to nearly 19.5 million patients regardless of their ability to pay.