April 12, 2005

Harris County Health Centers

Harris County Judge Robert Eckels announced on Monday that the Department of Health and Human Services awarded Federally Qualified Health Center status to five applications from the Harris County region.  They will be funded in December of this year using fiscal year 2006 funds.

"This is a milestone in our efforts to deliver quality healthcare to the people in our community who need it most," Eckels said.  "Our ability to put together five successful applications for FQHCs is a tribute to how we have worked together in Harris County to meet the growing challenge of providing healthcare in our community." 

Proposed clinics for the Alvin, Spring Branch, Northeast, and Good Neighbor centers were awarded $650,000, the maximum amount allowed.  The Pasadena application was awarded $622,000.  

These awards represent $3,222,550 in additional funding per year in the Harris County region for primary care services through FQHC funding.  The 340B drug program and Professional Liability coverage that comes with the awards is an additional investment in expanding primary health care services. 

"This phenomenal gain for Harris County is the result of a team effort by Gateway to Care, the Greater Houston Partnership, the generosity of our local charitable foundations, and the Healthy Houston Foundation,"  Eckels said.  "Now we can finally lay the groundwork to make sure the centers will be as successful as possible."

Health centers focus on providing preventive and primary care services without respect to a patient's ability to pay.  Nationally, 40% of patients treated at FQHCs have no coverage at all while others have inadequate coverage.  Charges for services are scaled according to income.

The awards are part of President Bush's five-year initiative to help communities tackle the need for expanded access to comprehensive primary health care services.  Launched in 2002, the initiative will add 1200 new and expanded center sites and increase the number of people served annually from about 10 million to 16 million by the end of 2006.

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