HHS will allocate up to $335 million for existing community health centers through the Expanded Services initiative, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Tuesday.

The funding is available through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and is intended to increase access to preventive and primary healthcare services, including dental health, behavioral health, pharmacy and vision services, at health centers.

According to HHS, the Affordable Care Act provides $11 billion in funding for the next five years with which to operate, expand and construct community health centers across the nation. Of that $11 billion, $9.5 billion is to be used to create new health center sites in medically underserved areas and expand preventive and primary healthcare services at existing sites. The additional $1.5 billion is supposed to support major construction and renovation projects at health centers.

The expansion of sites and services “will help community health centers serve nearly double the number of patients they do today” regardless of patients’ insurance status or ability to pay, according to an HHS release.

Applications for these grants are due by Jan. 6, 2011, according to HHS and HRSA.

Source: modernhealthcare.com