SARHA granted $205,000 to help poor and uninsured
Published 11:00 pm Wednesday, July 10, 2013
More than 1,000 federally-funded community health centers – including South Alabama Regional Health Associates in Troy – have received a portion of $150 million in federal health law money.
The money will go toward enrolling the poor and uninsured in assistance programs under the Affordable Health Care Act.
Each of the 1,159 centers granted money will receive between $59,000 to $500,000, according to federal health officials on Wednesday. SARHA will receive $205,000 of the $2.4 million awarded to 13 Alabama health centers.
SARHA could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the funding will allow for 50 additional employees to be hired to help about 70,000 Alabamians. Alabama health centers aided more than 300,000 patients last year.
“This investment will give Alabama neighborhoods and towns one more resource to help people understand their insurance options and enroll in affordable coverage,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in a news release.
Nationwide, Sebelius said the funding will help centers enroll 3.7 million people into Obamacare, as well as Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program. Federal health care centers serve about 21 million patients each year.
Other centers in Alabama receiving funding are Quality of Life Health Services in Gadsden, $438,841; County of Mobile in Mobile, $299,152; Franklin Primary Health Center in Mobile, $256,571; Whatley Health Services of Tuscaloosa, $239,642; Health Services of Montgomery, $218,643; Birmingham Health Care of Birmingham, $187,634; Central North Alabama Health Services of Huntsville, $130,324; Northeast Alabama Health Services of Scottsboro, $108,258; Bayou La Batre Area Health Development Board of Bayou La Batre, $105,354; Rural Health Medical Program of Selma, $100,910; Captstone Rural Health Center of Parris, $72,814; and Cahaba Medical Care Foundation of Centreville, $61,156.