LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Community health centers in Kentucky are getting more than $21.7 million from the federal government to help fight the coronavirus, part of the relief package passed by Congress.
“The healthcare heroes in Kentucky’s community health centers deserve our support as they work on the frontlines of the coronavirus crisis,” Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell said in a statement. “For many Kentuckians, particularly those in rural communities, these health centers provide vital access to quality, primary care."
Nearly $3 million is coming to community health centers in Louisville, including the Family Health Centers, which operates eight clinics in the metro area.
“We're obviously pleased to receive the federal help,” CEO Bill Wagner said.
Family Health Centers is receiving nearly $1.5 million, and Wagner said it is coming at the right time. He said in-person visits to the clinics have dropped 40% since the outbreak began in Kentucky one month ago.
“Our needs have grown over the past month or so, and we see that going forward, and we've had also a significant loss of revenue,” he said.
Wagner said Family Health hopes to use some of the money to ramp up its telehealth service.
“Our goal is to essentially keep patients out of the ER and out of the hospital so that they can be better prepared to handle the surge that we anticipate due to coronavirus,” he said.
Louisville's Park DuValle Health Center is getting more than $970,000, and the Shawnee Christian Health Center more than $570,000.
“We had no idea the federal government was going to be quite so generous,” Shawnee CEO Susan Maguire said.
Maguire said Shawnee is also seeing a drop in patient visits, especially in its dental office.
She said the federal grant will help keep the clinic doors open.
“Because we rely heavily on services that we provide to patients, yes, it would be very hard for us to remain open without some help from somewhere,” she said. “So this is going to be a great boost for us.”
Wagner said the money could also help expand COVID-19 testing in the under-served neighborhoods where its clinics operate.
“As you know, there's been a lot of attention over the past few days on the disproportionate number of ethnic minorities, people of color, who seem to have tested positive for coronavirus,” he said.
Wagner said the funding should begin arriving by late-April.
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