Staten Island, NY – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that she secured $487,500 in federal funding for the Community Health Center of Richmond (CHCR) Dental and Medical Specialty Center. Funding will allow CHCR to expand specialty primary care health care services to low-income Staten Island families at their second site located at 439 Port Richmond Avenue. In 2010, Senator Gillibrand urged U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to secure funding for the center.
“Community Health Center of Richmond is a lifeline for many Staten Island families,” said Senator Gillibrand. “This federal investment is a crucial step in providing the most vulnerable residents access to critical care and services. I will continue to work hard in the Senate to ensure New York gets its fair share of federal dollars for better health care services.”
“This is a remarkable opportunity for expanding access to primary care services for Staten Islanders,” said Henry Thompson, CEO of the Community Health Center of Richmond. “I want to thank Senator Gillibrand for being a strong advocate for the community health center movement and for expanding primary care for all Staten Islanders.”
CHCR’s second center in Port Richmond, called the CHCR Dental and Medical Specialty Center, is currently undergoing renovations set to be completed in late 2012. This new clinic would offer specialty primary care services, including dental, podiatry, opthalmology, endocrinology, and a diabetes self-management program. Federal funding would go towards operations of these vital services and would help create up to 20 staff positions.
Community Health Center of Richmond, a non-profit group, has provided services to Staten Island’s low income and medically underserved residents since July 2006. Funding through HHS New Access Point Grant Program will allow the center to address health disparities and grow its comprehensive primary care, preventive and supplemental health care services to vulnerable residents of Staten Island and New York City, regardless of their financial situation.
Across the country, federal grants were awarded to 219 health centers, which will help expand access to care for more than 1.25 million additional patients and create approximately 5,640 jobs by establishing new health center service delivery sites.