HHS Sends $1.3B to Health Centers for Telehealth, Other Improvements

Almost 1,400 health centers have been awarded funding through the Health Resources and Services Administration to expand telehealth and mHealth programs and other resources to deal with the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

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In all, more than $1.3 billion will; be awarded to 1,387 federally recognized health centers as part of the government’s effort to help healthcare providers during the pandemic. This funding was included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was passed by Congress and signed into law last month.

"This new funding secured by President Trump will help our community health centers continue the work they're doing on the ground against the coronavirus," HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in an April 8 news release. "HRSA-funded health centers are already playing a critical role by delivering essential services, serving as community testing and screening sites, and alleviating burdens on our nation's emergency rooms and hospitals."

"HRSA-funded health centers are part of the backbone of our nation's health care system, serving 1 in 12 people nationwide," added HRSA Administrator Tom Engels. "Increasingly, people are turning to health centers for the first line of defense in combating emergency public health priorities like the novel coronavirus. Health centers will put these resources to immediate use to respond to emerging and evolving local needs and continue to deliver high quality primary health care services to their patients."

Just last month, 1,381 health centers were awarded $100 million by HHS as a result of the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, which was passed by Congress and signed by President Trump on March 6.