WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is directing $102 million to 158 new and existing health centers to open 415 additional sites, expanding federally supported primary-care capacity for nearly 1 million people in medically underserved communities.
The awards, made through the Health Resources and Services Administration’s New Access Points program, mark the first major expansion of the Health Center Program since 2019, according to HHS.
New Access Points funding is the principal mechanism for organizations seeking to become HRSA-funded health centers and also allows existing centers to establish sites in additional underserved areas.
The new funding will support primary care as well as behavioral health, oral health, nutrition and substance-use disorder services. HRSA-funded centers are required to provide care regardless of patients’ ability to pay.
“Strong primary care prevents disease and gives Americans greater control over their health,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated.
The expansion adds to a national network that currently serves more than 32 million people at more than 16,000 sites, according to HRSA.
The agency said federally funded health centers provide care to roughly one in eight children, one in five rural residents and one in 15 adults age 65 and older.
HRSA Administrator Tom Engels said the new awards are intended to bring primary care closer to patients in communities where access remains limited.
“Today’s investment will expand access to affordable, high-quality primary care in communities across the country,” Engels stated.
HRSA is separately exploring a procurement platform intended to help health centers identify and verify American-made medical supplies and equipment. The agency said the effort is designed to make domestic purchasing easier for participating centers.
The $102 million initiative was announced at Castle Family Health Center in Atwater, California, and forms part of the administration’s broader effort to expand preventive care and chronic-disease management through the federal Health Center Program.
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