Udall, Bennet Announce Nearly $300,000 in Funding for Construction & Repair at Craig's Northwest Colorado Visiting Nurse Association, Inc.

The Funds Are Part of Nearly $17 Million for 15 Health Centers in Colorado

ARRA Funds Will Help to Improve Local Health Care Facilities, Patient Care

Washington, DC -Mark Udall and Michael Bennet, U.S. Senators for Colorado, today announced Craig's Northwest Colorado Visiting Nurse Association in Colorado will receive nearly $300,000 in funding for renovation, repair and other capital improvement projects at local health centers across the state.

"Community health centers provide critical services in Colorado's communities, ensuring that the most vulnerable among us can see a doctor when they're sick," Senator Udall said. "This funding will enable these centers to make pressing repairs and updates that will help them better serve the community, and create jobs while increasing access to medical services."

"Colorado's health centers are doing tremendous work in providing our patients the care they need. The condition of these facilities should match the excellence of their work," Bennet said. "In these tough economic times, these funds will go towards creating new jobs, spurring economic growth and making necessary improvements to these facilities so they can continue serving their communities."

Colorado will receive a total of $16,868,645 in funding from the Department of Health and Human Services through its Recovery Act Capital Improvement Program, including $298,195 for Northwest Colorado Visiting Nurse Association. The funds will help to address pressing health center facility and equipment needs, including the acquisition of health information technology systems to expand the use of electronic health records. It will also increase Coloradans' access to health care and create health center and construction-related jobs.

The funding is part of $851 million in grants awarded nationwide through CIP.The CIP grants will support the construction, repair and renovation of more than 1,500 health center sites nationwide. More than 650 centers will use the funds to purchase new equipment or health information technology (HIT) systems, and nearly 400 health centers will adopt and expand the use of electronic health records.

More information about HHS's efforts regarding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is available at www.hhs.gov/recovery. More information about the Federal government's efforts on the economic stimulus is available at www.recovery.gov.