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Federal Funds Help Indiana Health Centers Reach 24,000 New Patients

UW Health
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https://www.flickr.com/photos/uwhealth/

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is funneling over $7 million in federal money to Indiana healthcare centers to help revamp their facilities.

The grant is funded through the Affordable Care Act’s Community Health Center Fund. The Indiana health centers receiving grant money are in Gary, Jeffersonville, Indianapolis, Portage, West Lafayette, Merrillville and Clinton.

Indiana’s Raphael Health Center CEO Dee Roudebush says they’ve been awarded $1 million.

"The whole integrated care is what we’re looking for and expanding into another 5,000 square feet in this building is going to be tremendous in providing us that opportunity," she says.

Roudebush says the money will give the center the opportunity to add a couple of physicians and another dentist “to be able to increase our capacity to get them in here.”

Healthcare centers provide treatment to underserved and financially troubled individuals. Federally-recognized community health centers also must offer behavioral and mental health treatment.

"As a federally quality health center, we do not turn away anybody for their inability to pay," Roudebush explains. "We see people who have insurance, but we also see 66 percent of people who are under the 100 percent of the federal poverty level."

The Health and Human Services Agency estimates that statewide these infrastructure grants will help reach an additional 24,000 patients.

Earlier this year the agency awarded four Indiana health centers more than $1.5 million in federal funding to address heroin and opioid abuse.

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