HRSA https://www.hrsa.gov within HHS provides funding to nearly 1,400 health centers operating more than 11,000 service delivery sites. To improve the HRSA Health Center Program, HHS is providing $125 million for Quality Improvement grant awards to 1,352 community health centers in the U.S, territories, and the District of Columbia.
The funding provided by HRSA, will be used to expand access to care, improve care quality and outcomes, increase care delivery in a cost effective way, address health disparities, advance health IT, and deliver patient-centered care.
According to HRSA Administer George Sigounas, PhD, “Nearly all HRSA-funded health centers demonstrate improvements in one or more clinical quality measures from the prior year, but now additional funds will enable health centers to improve the quality of care delivered every day.”
HRSA-funded health centers are increasingly becoming the first line of defense in combatting the nation’s opioid epidemic. Research shows that integrating substance use disorder services, mental healthcare, and primary care improves the detection and treatment of substance use disorders and mental illness as well as help manage co-occurring physical conditions and addictions, life expectancy, and cost efficacy.