The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced the release of $338 million to expand services offered at the nation's community health centers. The money was made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and comes as more Americans join the ranks of the uninsured.

"More Americans are losing their health insurance and turning to health centers for care," said Health Resources and Services Administrator (HRSA) Mary Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N. "These grants will aid centers in their efforts to provide care to an increasing number of patients during the economic downturn."

The Increased Demand for Services (IDS) grants will be distributed to 1,128 federally qualified health center grantees. Health centers will use the funds over the next two years to create or retain approximately 6,400 health center jobs. Eleven of Idaho's health centers will receive $2,767,698 to serve an estimated 14,371 new patients, 8,987 new uninsured patients, and retain or create 33 jobs.

Grantees submitted plans explaining how the IDS funds would be used. Strategies to expand services may include, but are not limited to, adding new providers, expanding hours of operations or expanding services. The funds will provide care to an additional 2.1 million patients over the next two years, including approximately 1 million uninsured people.

Health centers deliver preventive and primary care services to patients regardless of their ability to pay; charges for services are set according to income. Health centers served more than 16 million patients in 2007, about 40 percent of whom had no health insurance.

The IDS awards are the second set of health center grants provided through the Recovery Act. March 2, President Obama announced grants worth $155 million to establish 126 new health centers. Those grants will provide access to health center care for 750,000 people in 39 states and two territories, including a new health center in the Lewiston, Idaho area.

To see a list of grantees by state, go to http://www.hhs.gov/recovery/programs/hrsa/idsgawards.html.