Health centers are important fixtures in communities around the United States. Many of them get a lot of their funding from grants. These grants give the community health centers a lot of benefits depending on the grant amount. If you'd like to know more about grants and how community health centers use them, we'll outline it below.
Why Community Health Centers Need Grants
Community health centers use grants to take care of uninsured and under insured patients who have appointments and procedures. Grants are also instrumental in helping these health centers expand their operating hours and locations.
Health centers can use the funding to retrain their staff, hire new staff, and add services like dental care or substance abuse. Additionally, the supplemental money can help these centers improve their quality of care.
How Grants Are Useful for Community Health Centers
The U.S. government gives limited funding to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in the form of grants if they apply for them. There are several benefits of securing this funding for any community health center, including:
- Allowing Service Expansion - Many community health centers offer basic healthcare services like general care appointments, routine follow-ups, and obstetrics. Grants let these centers expand to more specialized services like dentistry or substance abuse counseling.
- Expanding Hours - Many centers run on traditional 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. hours. Grants give them the money they need to offer more evening or weekend hours.
- Creating Higher Expectations - More funding sets healthcare centers up for higher expectations. They could help the staff give more tailored services that meet the community's needs.
Where to Find Grants for Community Health Centers
There are several resources for local community health centers to help them secure funding each year. We've picked out a few popular grants and outlined them below:
- Medline Community Impact Grant Program - This program offers two grant cycles per year. The funding helps community centers improve their service offerings for their clients. It focuses on preventative healthcare challenges. You can apply here.
- Rural Health Network Development Program - Designed for rural health care centers, this grant helps develop services and the centers themselves. The funds help establish these centers, expand their hours, and improve their services. Apply by clicking here.
- Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program - This program gives hearing screenings to young children up to three years old. The funding develops programs that provide hearing screenings, diagnosis, and treatment opportunities. Apply here.
Community Health Centers have a range of grants at their disposal that they can use to improve their services. Along with grants, Community Health Centers can utilize low cost tech solutions to keep up with new patient demands, compliance initiatives and the addition of new services needed to meet the demands of their communities.
