Thank you, Senator Bernie Sanders.
(Brian Snyder/Reuters)
As a direct result of his amendment to the Affordable Health Care Act, we got this story from
The Hill:
The Health and Human Services Department announced $28 million in grants Tuesday to help establish new community health centers.
The department said 286,000 people will gain access to healthcare through the new health centers. Community health centers exist primarily in rural and urban areas without easy access to healthcare.
Some 40 percent of the people who use community health centers are uninsured, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told reporters. She said expanded access to clinics in schools, churches and other community centers has been shown to reduce hospital and emergency-room services.
Tuesday’s grants were provided under the healthcare law. The $28 million in new funding comes after the White House agreed to a $600 million cut to community health centers as part of the spending bill hammered out in April.
The new funding will be split among 67 recipients. Ten are opening new community-based clinics, and the rest will use the money to open new locations.
In checking with Sen. Sanders' office for confirmation that this was indeed due to his efforts, the office responded:
It is correct that Sen. Sanders was able to get a provision in the health care law that doubled funding for community health centers. Unfortunately, the funding was trimmed in the continuing resolution passed last spring for fy11 appropriations. Instead of funding for the 67 new centers announced yesterday, there would have been enough for 400 applicants nationally.
The moral of the story? Critics of the WH can nonetheless contribute substantive changes to policy and politics that benefit the American people (as noted, some 40 percent of the people who use community health centers are uninsured and many others are underinsured.)
Support them when they do. They are only out to make America a better place to live. And we have a long way to go to get there.
Addendum: Need a CHC? Use this finder site.
