My Reader Asked “Where Do Obama’s Health Care $’s Actually Go?”

…. And I decided to look for some specific answers.

Got some.

Before I go into all the details – I want to go for the juicy part.

If you want to start! a business in healthcare or healthcare education and prevention in your community, there are funds for you RIGHT NOW to start your business. Remember: what the Obama administration is looking to accomplish is to broaden the scope and reach of the local health care centers. That means more community clinics, rehab centers, and outreach programs of all kinds. That means you.

If you or someone you know (and love and want to prosper) owns/operates/shares ownership of any kind of health center seeking to grow their clinic, there are grants for ….

….expansion. There are grants for healthcare clinics, mental health clinics, health services, social services, or rehab clinics, or general community education on prevention and general help.

Ready now? Scroll down for helpful links. Or read on and encounter links in a minute.

On Wednesday, President Obama illustrated his belief in the importance of community health care centers in when he commented on Wednesday “For you folks, (… here he’s talking about community health care providers…) health care isn’t just about diagnosing patients and treating illness — it’s about caring for people and promoting wellness. It’s about emphasizing education and prevention, and helping people lead healthier lives so they don’t get sick in the first place.”

President Obama continues to say: “And it works. Studies show that people living near a health center are less likely to go to the emergency room and have unmet critical medical needs. CHCs are proven to reduce ethnic and racial disparities in care. And the medical expenses of regular CHC patients are nearly 25 percent lower than those folks who get their care elsewhere — 25 percent lower.” (To read his speech in full, click here.)

Quick Victory Dance: Yay! An American President who cares about prevention and nutrition. Such a Concept! (read the rest of the speech).

How much is there for the Health Resources and Services Administration to hand out? Just in their Facility Investment Program alone, they have $508.7 million in grant money right now! for community health care centers all around the US. On top of this, $88 million more is set aside for these health care clinics to pay for “tech”, management and financial services.

Who gets funded by funds like these? La Clinica in Pasco, Washington near Kennewick gets funds like these. La Clinica just received major federal funding due to Obama’s Facility Investment Program.

These funds will be used to build a new facility next door to the current facility, to add dental care and behavioral services. The $7+ million dollars in funding is to go to building a 3 story, 30,000 sq. ft. building and offer a wider variety of services. They are also adding a call center to their clinic.

The two health care clinic providers I know as friends are both women who own their own clinics and several physicians and health care practitioners working for them. These women are prime for these grants to expand their clinics. Seeing this grant a community clinic in rural Washington received , these ladies have reconsidered their doubts about government grants and BOTH are now applying for their own grants.

Women, and ethnic women, low to middle income people, especially! ought to think about applying for any and all grants available to them. Why especially these groups? These groups are the most under-represented in the demographics of business owners, and the grant system technically exists to establish balance in this severely skewed demographic.

The federal government wants to see is local health care providers that grow in what they can offer the community in terms of all types of health care, and that grow their patient capacity. This means larger facilities assisting more patients, with more services offered.

I’d say if you own such a health care center, apply. I’d say if you have an idea for such a community health care clinic, apply. REALLY. Apply.

How? Here’s where good old American ingenuity comes in… The help is there. We just have to go and get it.

Remember: your Public Library is required to have the info available to you in print. Go in, sit down and get some ideas. Click Here to find your nearest public library.

There’s the federal government grant website, grants.gov. Look here to get an idea of what grants are currently offered. Go and see what is being bid for right now, and what has been offered and already assigned. Start the ideas flowing.

Click here for more ideas on where to look up grants you might qualify for.

Click here for information on foundations that fund what you are trying to accomplish.

For a story on what one woman did in New Orleans with government grants, Click here.

To see what private funding has done for women’s groups, click here and read this.

There’s money out there for people with a vision and ready to get to it! there’s plenty more stories to read. If you want one more, read about Molly and Her girls … here. If you are inspired enough, and ready to look into it, get something started. Heck, maybe, get a few friends together, then get the vision, THEN get things started, WHATEVER IT TAKES, DO IT! If you don’t get the free money, someone else will.

They say the wealth of this generation affects the next 4 generations. Bring those funds to YOUR community, helping your community and helping you. Go and get it. It’s out there for you.