Cohen Announces More Than $430,000 for Memphis Community Health Centers
[WASHINGTON, DC] – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that two Memphis community health centers have been awarded a total of $433,073 in grant funding to help enroll uninsured residents in new health coverage options made available through President Obama’s health care reform law. Today’s grants are yet another step taken by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to help make applying for and enrolling in health coverage options as easy as possible.
“Christ Community and the Memphis Health Center have a long tradition of providing families with outstanding health services,” said Congressman Cohen. “Today’s funding will help give more Memphians access to health care coverage.”
Under today’s announcement, Christ Community Health Services Inc. will receive $319,337 and Memphis Health Center Inc. will receive $113,736 in funding. These grant awards are part of more than $150 million distributed by HHS to 1,159 health centers across the nation.
In addition to today’s grants, HHS also recently launched a new, consumer-focused HealthCare.gov website and 24-hour call center to help Americans across the country prepare for and better understand open enrollment in the new Health Insurance Marketplace. Open enrollment in the marketplace will begin on October 1st, 2013.
Christ Community Health Services was founded in Memphis in 1995 with a mission to care for and uplift poor, uninsured and homeless Memphians. Christ Community now offers dental clinics, full-service pharmacies, a mobile medical van for the homeless, and HIV/AIDS care.
Memphis Health Center formed in 1970 in response to growing concerns over health care inequities for underserved communities in the Mid-South area and opened its first permanent office in 1975. The Center has grown to offer services ranging from immunizations to dental care to radiology. Memphis Health has also crafted special programs to better serve students, the homeless, and those in rural locations, among others.