"And so far, we’ve allocated nearly $1.4 billion to health centers across America so they can get to work building and renovating and hiring new staff this year. And today, I’m pleased to announce that we’re awarding more than $500 million to 85 centers in more than 30 states and Puerto Rico that are providing critical care for so many folks with nowhere else to turn. (Applause.)
We’re investing in places like Canyonlands Community Health Care in Arizona, that has one facility operating in a building originally constructed as a chicken coop and another in a cramped fire station. We’re investing in places like Avis Goodwin Community Health center in Dover, New Hampshire, that’s become so overcrowded — you must be from there. (Laughter.) It’s become so overcrowded the doctors are using bathrooms and closets as offices. We’re investing in Bucksport Regional Health Center in Maine, where doctors are double-booked and the waiting rooms are often standing room only. We’re giving places like these the funding they need to upgrade and expand their facilities so they can meet the skyrocketing demand for services that’s come with this economic downturn.
But we won’t just want our health centers to provide more care for more patients; we want them to provide better care as well. So starting today, we’re making $88 million in funding available for centers to adopt new health information technology systems to manage their administrative and financial matters and transfer old paper files to electronic medical records. (Applause.) These investments won’t just increase efficiency and lower costs, they’ll improve the quality of care as well �- preventing countless medical errors, and allowing providers to spend less time with paperwork and more time with patients.
That’s the purpose of the final initiative I’m announcing today as well -� a demonstration project to evaluate the benefits of the “medical home” model of care that many of our health centers aspire to. The idea here is very simple: that in order for care to be effective, it needs to be coordinated. It’s a model where the center that serves as your medical home might help you keep track of your prescriptions, or get the referrals you need, or work with you to develop a plan of care that ensures your providers are working together to keep you healthy."
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