Isakson, Chambliss Praise $5.9 Million in Health Center Grants for Georgia
Funds Will Go to Establish Nine New Health Centers, Plan for Three Others

WASHINGTON (August 27, 2007) – U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., today announced Georgia will receive $5.9 million from the Health Resources and Services Administration, including $4.2 million to fund nine new health centers across the state. The new health centers will help Georgians obtain access to comprehensive primary and preventive health care services.

   “This is exceptional news for our state and I am very pleased to see this kind of federal investment in Georgia,” Isakson said. “These funds will allow many Georgians who are without adequate health insurance to receive essential preventive care that will help keep them healthy.”

   “As I have traveled around the state over the past few weeks, I have heard directly from Georgians that access to health care is one of their top concerns,” said Chambliss. “I’m pleased that our expanding communities will receive this funding to provide critical health care services for our low-income areas.”

   The following Georgia health care organizations will receive funding to establish new health center sites in low-income areas that do not currently enjoy access to health center care:

  · Diversity Health Center, Inc. in Hinesville will receive $599,004 to establish a new health center in Long County;

  · Georgia Mountain Health Service, Inc. in Morgantown will receive $561,523 to establish a new health center in Murray County;

  · Valley Healthcare System, Inc. in Columbus will receive $525,000 to establish a new health center in Harris County;

  · MedLink, Georgia, Inc. in Colbert will receive $412,500 to establish a new health center in Banks County;

  · Neighborhood Improvement Project, Inc. in Augusta will receive $600,000 to establish a new health center in Richmond County;

  · East Georgia Healthcare Center, Inc. in Swainsboro will receive $450,000 to establish a new health center in Candler County;

  · Primary Healthcare Center of Dade, Inc. in Trenton will receive $337,500 to establish a new health center in Walker County;

  · Community Healthcare, Inc. in Wrightsville will receive $450,000 to establish a new health center to serve Twiggs and Wilkinson counties; and

  · Southwest Georgia Healthcare, Inc. in Richland will receive $337,500 to establish a new health center in Wilcox County.

   The Georgia Association for Primary Health Care also received an $80,000 grant to create plans to develop a health center to serve Montgomery and Echols counties. Health Care Central Georgia received $160,000 in grants to create plans to develop health centers in Crawford and Houston counties.

   The Georgia Association for Primary Health Care also received $1.4 million to help health centers in Georgia prepare to adopt and implement Electronic Health Records and other health information technology innovations.

   Health centers funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration deliver preventive and primary care services to patients regardless of their ability to pay; charges for health care services are set according to income. Four in 10 patients treated at health centers have no insurance coverage; many others have inadequate coverage. 

   Health centers in Georgia that are funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration serve approximately 248,000 patients per year. Of those patients, 113,000 are uninsured and 90 percent of all health center patients in Georgia had incomes at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Georgia health centers provide nearly 710,000 medical encounters annually.