The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded $345,400 in Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act funding to 12 health centers in Arkansas last week.
The awards were meant to recognize improvements at the centers, and the money will go toward the centers' efforts to further improve primary care services.
The department announced a total of $36.3 million in funding to 1,113 health centers in the United States that were top-rated in overall clinical outcomes, reported data on all of their patients, showed at least a 10 percent improvement in clinical measures or exceeded national clinical benchmarks.
"This funding rewards Arkansas health centers that have a proven track record in clinical quality improvement, which translates to better patient care, and it allows them to expand and improve their systems and infrastructure to bring the highest quality primary care services to the communities they serve," Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said in a news release.
All 12 of the state's health centers supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration received awards.
They include: ARcare in Augusta, Boston Mountain Rural Health Inc. in Marshall, Cabun Rural Health Services Inc. in Hampton, Corning Area Healthcare Inc. in Corning, East Arkansas Family Health Center Inc. in West Memphis, Healthy Connections Inc. in Mena, Jefferson Comprehensive Care System Inc. in Pine Bluff, Lee County Cooperative Clinic in Marianna, Mainline Health Systems Inc. in Portland, Mid-Delta Health Systems Inc. in Clarendon, River Valley Primary Care Services in Ratcliff and St. Francis House NWA Inc. in Springdale.
ARcare received the highest award amount with $52,721. Mid-Delta Health Systems Inc. was the only Arkansas health center to receive awards in three categories: being top-rated in overall clinical outcomes, reporting data through Electronic Health Records and showing significant improvement in clinical measures. It received $43,318.
Metro on 12/16/2014