As the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Health Task Force and a leader in promoting public health initiatives, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) was among a handful of leaders asked to join President Obama at the White House Wednesday to announce nearly $600 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) awards to support major construction and renovation projects at 85 community health centers nationwide and help networks of health centers adopt Electronic Health Records (EHR) and other Health Information Technology (HIT) systems. 

The awards are expected to not only create new job opportunities in construction and health care, but also help provide care for more than half a million additional patients in underserved communities.  The President also announced a new demonstration initiative to support the delivery of advanced primary care to Medicare beneficiaries through community health centers.
 
Pictured from left to right: Rep. Tom Periello (D-VA), Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)., Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius stood by his side, while more members of Congress and representatives from the community health centers sat in the audience.

The new Recovery Act funds are the latest in a series of grants awarded to community health centers, which deliver preventive and primary care services at more than 7,500 service delivery sites around the country to patients regardless of their ability to pay.  Health centers serve more than 17 million patients, about 40 percent of whom have no health insurance.

HRSA has received a total of $2 billion through the Recovery Act to expand health care services to low-income and uninsured individuals through its health center program.  To date, nearly $1 billion of these funds have been awarded to community-based organizations across the country. 

Eleven community clinics received awards in California, including the South Central Family Health Center in Los Angeles.

In recognition of her advocacy to provide access to quality and affordable health care for all families in our country, the American Public Health Association recently honored Congresswoman Roybal-Allard with its Public Health Legislator of the Year award for her work to promote and expand public health and prevention programs in our country.