ST. GEORGE — Southwest Utah Community Health Center in St. George was one of four health centers to receive a portion of $2.3 million in Affordable Care Act funding allocated to Utah health care sites, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell announced Tuesday.

The funding is for the delivery of comprehensive primary health care services to communities in need. These new health centers in Utah are projected to increase access to health care services for nearly 5,101 patients, according to a Health and Human Services release.

The four new centers in Utah are:

• Bear Lake Community Health Center, Garden City | $650,000
• Midtown Community Health Center, Ogden | $605,900
• Mountainlands Community Health Center, Provo | $483,333
• Southwest Utah Community Health Center, St. George | $566,667

Nationally, approximately $101 million was awarded to 164 new health center sites in 33 states and two U.S. Territories to increase access to health care services for nearly 650,000 patients.

“The Affordable Care Act has led to unprecedented increases in access to health insurance,” Burwell said. “Part of building on that progress is connecting people to the care they need. Health centers are keystones of the communities they serve in Utah. Today’s awards will enable more individuals and families in Utah to have access to the affordable, quality health care that health centers provide. That includes the preventive and primary care services that will keep them healthy.”

Nationally, this investment announced today will add to the more than 550 new health center sites that have opened in the last four years as a result of the Affordable Care Act, said the Health and Human Services release. Today, nearly 13 health centers operate more than 44 service delivery sites that provide care to nearly 123,116 patients in Utah.

Health centers have also been critical in helping Utah residents sign up for health insurance through the Marketplace, the Health & Human Services release stated. Since 2013, health centers assisted more than 69,127 Utah residents in their efforts to become insured.

“More people have insurance in the United States than ever before,” said Jim Macrae, Health Resources and Service Administration acting administrator. “Health centers provide an accessible and dependable source of culturally competent primary care for many of the newly insured.”

The recently enacted bipartisan Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act builds on this progress by extending  mandatory funding for health centers in fiscal years 2016 and 2017, according to the release.

Resources

• Full list of award winners
• Affordable Care Act website
• HRSA’s Health Center Program website
• To find a health center in your area, go online
• Health and Human Services Facebook | Twitter | email

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