Federal grant awards Arizona health centers over $24M in virus aid
Apr 8, 2020, 12:05 PM
(AP Photo)
(AP Photo)
PHOENIX – A federal grant will give nearly two-dozen Arizona health organizations more than $24 million in coronavirus aid, government officials announced Wednesday.
The Arizona Department of Health Services will receive the biggest single portion of the $24,469,735, at $4.5 million.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also allocated $2.1 million to Valley-based Mountain Park Health Center and $1.1 million to Neighborhood Outreach Access to Health, among other organizations.
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The funding will help the agencies prevent, diagnose and treat COVID-19. The money will also help increase site capacities and maintain staffing needs.
Arizona was awarded $12 million in coronavirus aid in March from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The same week, nearly two dozen health centers in the state split $1.7 million from the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act.
State health officials reported 151 new cases of the virus, pushing the total to 2,726. There have been 80 deaths.
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Federal health Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement that community health centers were playing “a critical role by delivering essential services, serving as community testing and screening sites.”
He also said the centers served to alleviate burdens on emergency rooms and hospitals.
Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 12,064 deaths from more than 374,000 COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday.
The federal government funds nearly 1,400 health centers that operate in close to 13,000 locations across the country.
