Rep. Matsui Applauds $500K in Federal Funding Awarded to The Effort Community Health Center
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
CONTACT: MARA LEE
o: (916) 498-5600/c: (202) 302-3249
Money Will Fund Construction of a New Primary-care Clinic in North Highlands
CA Today, Congresswoman Doris O. Matsui (CA-05) applauded the recent announcement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that The Effort will receive a $500,000 federal grant to construct a new clinic in North Highlands. The federal funding is the first in a series of awards that will be made to community health centers under the new health reform law, the Affordable Care Act, which was strongly supported by Congresswoman Matsui. In total, the Affordable Care Act will provide $11 billion in federal funding over the next five years for the operation, expansion and construction of community health centers like The Effort nationwide.
The Effort has been able to expand significantly in the past two years as a result of federal funding, said Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento). Building new clinics and facilities is critical to improving access to high quality care for Sacramento families. The new primary-care clinic in North Highlands will be an important addition to our region's health care system and is a direct benefit of the new health care law.
The Effort is a Sacramento nonprofit that provides primary care, mental health and addiction services across the region. It recently broke ground on an 11 exam room clinic with five pediatric dental and six family practice and primary care rooms, in the underserved North Highlands community. The clinic's catchment area also includes the Del Paso Heights, Robla, Citrus Heights, Foothills Farms, and Orangevale neighborhoods.
This clinic will offer primary medical care to an estimated 3,000 new patients, according to Bob Caulk, the Effort's Executive Director. The clinic will also provide dental care for children, and integrated behavioral health counseling for mental health and substance-abuse issues. In addition, the site is a drop-in Family Resource Center, which provides parenting and family support services and referrals, offers children's mental health services including child, adolescent, and family counseling services, and is a Birth and Beyond site providing home visitations support for high-risk families with small children.
The Effort has also leveraged local matching funds from Sacramento First 5 Commission for the pediatric dental component of The North Highlands clinic project.
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