Senator Durbin: Community Health Centers Critical to Struggling Illinois Families

May 22, 2009 -- CHICAGO, IL – Community health centers throughout the state of Illinois such as Alivio Medical Center in Chicago will be able to add new providers, increase hours of operations and expand services for patients thanks to funding included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“Health centers provide a valuable service to communities by administering health care to low-income families, many without health insurance,” said Durbin. “Last year alone, over 1.1 million people in Illinois were treated at community health centers. This funding will support this critically important work and lead to economic growth in many underserved communities as health centers also serve as a key source of local employment and economic activity.”

The Recovery Act provides $2 billion for community health centers.

More than 46 million Americans do not have health insurance. In Illinois, 1.8 million people are without coverage and nearly one million families have at least one uninsured family member. The ranks of the uninsured are not limited to those in poverty. There are 360,000 families in Illinois making more than $50,000 that have at least one uninsured family member.

In Illinois, 36 community health centers will receive a total of over $15,181,564 through the Increased Demand for Services (IDS) grants, allocated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Chicago community health centers will receive $7,792,751 of that money. Four new clinics—two in Chicago, one in Carbondale and one in Waukegan—will each receive $1.3 million, bringing the Illinois total to more than $20 million.

Source: Senator Dick Durbin