KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT BILL GRAVES, GOVERNOR Gary R. Mitchell, Secretary

September 25, 1997

Contact: Barbara Gibson

785-296-1200

Kansas Receives Community Health Center Grants

The federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has awarded two grants totaling $1.1 million for primary care health services in the Emporia and Garden City areas. United Methodist Western Kansas Mexican American Ministries -- with clinics in Garden City, Dodge City, Liberal, and Ulysses -- will receive a $600,000 grant. The Lyon County Health Department will receive a $510,000 grant.

Both recipients were selected from competitive applications submitted to HRSA's federal community health center grant program. The KDHE Office of Primary Care Services assisted the communities in seeking the grants.

The grants enable the recipients to expand primary care services in two areas of the state with special unmet needs for medical care for low-income and uninsured individuals and families. Both communities have rapidly growing Hispanic populations moving into the area for jobs in beef processing plants. As a result, these two locally organized programs now serve a high percentage of Hispanic clients who have special language and cultural problems obtaining basic preventive and primary health care services.

The two grants bring to six the number of communities with federally funded community health centers. The other centers are in Topeka, Kansas City, Junction City and Wichita.

"We're encouraged by the prospect of additional federal support for health service delivery to under-served populations in Kansas," said Barbara Gibson, director of KDHE's Office of Primary Care.

The additional federal grants enable an integrated partnership approach to assuring that primary care services are available to all Kansans regardless of the source of funding. The department was notified of the grant awards by the office of Senator Pat Roberts.