June 20, 2012
Harkin Announces Affordable Care Act Grant for Greater Sioux Community Health Center
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today announced that the Greater Sioux Community Health Center received designation as a federal health center. This means the Center will begin to receive an annual operating grant of $595,833 from the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The funding was made possible by the Affordable Care Act to expand community health centers. As Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Harkin played a pivotal role in passage of the Affordable Care Act. He has also led the fight in Congress to fund community health centers as Chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee that funds health initiatives.
“Iowans continue to see the benefits of health reform,” said Harkin. “In this case, with a community health center that will be able to stay in Sioux County and expand access to quality, affordable care for residents of Western Iowa. I have long fought to support the creation of community health centers across Iowa because I know these facilities provide crucial healthcare for Iowa families in need. I congratulate the Greater Sioux Community Health Center on this award.”
The idea for the Greater Sioux Health Center was born when Senator Harkin directed funding to buy a mobile health clinic to run out of the Sioux City Health Center. That mobile clinic served Sioux Center, sparking the idea of creating a new permanent community health center.
Senator Harkin went on to secure $30,000 in Fiscal Year 2005 to start the planning process to create the Center. He then secured $195,000 between 2008-2009 to equip and operate the Center while they applied for a federal designation.
The grants announced by HHS today have been awarded to 219 health centers around the country to help expand access to care for more than 1.25 million patients. By establishing new health center delivery sites, an estimated 5,000 jobs will be created nationwide.