[StBernard] Rep. Melancon Announces $470, 000 Federal Grant for New Community Health Clinic in St. Martin Parish

Westley Annis westley at da-parish.com
Fri Sep 14 19:02:20 EDT 2007


WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon (D –LA) today announced that the Iberia Comprehensive Community Health Center was awarded a $469,954 federal grant to establish a health service clinic in St. Martin Parish. Rep. Melancon had previously advocated in support of this grant to the federal agency that was administering the program, noting that the need for accessible healthcare services for the uninsured had increased in rural St. Martin Parish following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. As vice chair of a Congressional oversight subcommittee, Rep. Melancon also drew attention to the state of post-hurricane healthcare in Louisiana with a hearing earlier this year on short term recovery needs, especially the increased need for accessible, affordable primary and mental healthcare services in rural south Louisiana communities.



“All Louisianians should have access to quality, affordable health care, and this grant will help make that possible for many needy people in St. Martin Parish,” said Rep. Melancon. “Recently, I supported legislation in Congress to provide healthcare coverage for thousands of Louisiana children from poor families who lack health insurance. In the richest country in the world, no sick person should have to forgo a visit to the doctor simply because he or she can’t afford the bill. I will continue to support legislation and funding that helps uninsured and underinsured Americans access much-needed healthcare services, while ensuring these needs are met in a cost efficient way that also protects the taxpayer’s dollar.”



Roderick Campbell, Executive Director of the Iberia Comprehensive Community Health Center, commented, “St. Martin Parish was cited as one of the poorest counties in the country and will benefit immensely from this grant. We expect to serve approximately 5,000 low-income uninsured or under-insured residents of the Parish by providing medical, dental, mental health, and pharmacy services. Representative Charlie Melancon is an advocate for the poor and a supporter of affordable healthcare for all citizens and I thank him for his assistance in securing this grant.”



The grant for Iberia Comprehensive CHC was awarded through a federal program to help uninsured or underinsured people obtain access to health centers providing comprehensive primary and preventive health care services. These health centers deliver preventive and primary care services to patients regardless of their ability to pay. Charges for health care services are set according to income. Four in 10 patients treated at health centers have no insurance coverage and many others have inadequate coverage.



The federal program that awards these grants has been ranked one of the 10 most effective federal programs by the Office of Management and Budget, and is the top competitive grant program within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Federally supported community health centers, like the clinic today’s grant will establish in St. Martin Parish, improve the health of the patients and communities they serve by providing cost-effective, regular primary and preventive care that translates into reduced hospitalizations, lower use of emergency rooms, and fewer referrals to costly specialists, resulting in a significant reduction of overall health care spending and producing far better health care outcomes.



Rep. Melancon is also a co-sponsor of legislation in Congress that will continue the federal health center program and authorize adequate funding to meet its financial needs (H.R. 1343: The Health Centers Renewal Act).



The grant for the Iberia Comprehensive CHC was awarded through President Bush’s Health Center Initiative, launched in 2002 with a goal of increasing access to primary health care services in 1,200 communities by supporting new or expanded health center sites. The grant to Iberia Comprehensive CHC is part of $20 million in recently announced grants that will establish 41 new health center sites in 25 states. These New Access Point grants will help an estimated 220,000 Americans gain access to health center services. The New Access Point grants were awarded to health care organizations in areas where more primary medical care is needed. They will be administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.



# # #





More information about the StBernard mailing list