Project Vida To Get $500K Grant
Project Vida Health Center was awarded $500,000 from the Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday to expand and provide more health-care services.
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced awards of $95 million — provided by the Affordable Care Act — to 278 school-based health center programs across the country
According to a news release, the awards will allow the centers, which currently serve about 790,000 patients, to increase their capacity by more than 50 percent, serving an additional 440,000 patients. The school-based health centers offer health screenings, health promotion and disease prevention activities and allow children with acute or chronic illnesses to attend school.
Also on the list of recipients is the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico in Las Cruces, which is receiving $117,183
“These new investments will help school-based health centers establish new sites or upgrade their current facilities to keep our children healthy,” Sebelius said in the news release. “These new or improved sites will help ensure effective, efficient, and high-quality care.”
“We know that if kids aren’t healthy then kids can’t learn,” Duncan said. “These grants will make it a lot easier for working moms and dads to help get their children the health care they need and deserve. This unprecedented investment in school-based health care will bring communities closer together and help children succeed in the classroom.”
The Affordable Care Act appropriated a total of $200 million for 2010 through 2013 for the School-Based Health Center Capital Program, which is being handled by the Health Resources and Services Administration, which improves access to health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated or medically vulnerable.
