Source: United States Senator for Colorado Michael Bennet
Washington, D.C. – Today, Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper announced $5.7 million in funding for 57 Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) in Colorado from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The funding for RHCs is a part of the Rural Health Clinic COVID-19 Testing and Mitigation (RHCCTM) Program and will be used to maintain and increase Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing for rural communities and support local efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus.
“Rural health care providers are vital to communities in Colorado, but complications from the pandemic and shrinking budgets have put a strain on many providers,” said Bennet. “I’m thrilled 57 RHCs in Colorado will receive funding to help them support the needs of their communities as we work to end this pandemic. I’ll continue fighting in Washington to ensure RHCs have access to the funding they need to continue to protect our communities in the years ahead.”
“Rural Health Centers are crucial to medically underserved areas,” said Hickenlooper. “With the pandemic finally turning a corner, the American Rescue Plan’s funding will help centers receive everything what they need to protect Coloradans.”
HRSA’s RHCCTM Program supports community mitigation strategies recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The program intends to address health equity gaps by offering support and resources to medically underserved rural communities. The RHCCTM program received $460 million through the American Rescue Plan Act and allocated funding through the HRSA for RHCs based on the number of certified clinic sites they operate, providing $100,000 per clinic site.
In total, HRSA provided $424.7 million in funding to over 4,200 RHCs across the country. A state-by-state breakdown of the funding is available HERE.