Congresswoman Cori Bush Secures $26 Million for St. Louis Area Health Centers
ST. LOUIS, MO – Today, Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01) released a statement following the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)’s announcement that the American Rescue Plan, which Congresswoman Cori Bush helped shape and pass into law, will provide four Federally Qualified health centers (FQHCs) in St. Louis—Affinia Healthcare, Beatty Jean Kerr People’s Health Center, CareSTL Health, and Family Care Health Centers—with a combined total of $26 million in funding for COVID-19 response.
“Community health centers were a lifeline for the people of St. Louis before the pandemic, and they are even more so now,” said Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01). “This funding will ensure our most underserved communities - low-income, Black and brown people, the unhoused, the undocumented, and the uninsured - have access to COVID-19 vaccinations, testing and treatment, as well as access to routine medical care. Community Health Centers serve more than 126,000 people in Missouri’s 1st District. These federal dollars will enable them to expand their operational capacity and deliver needed preventative and primary care services to more people, many of whom have chronic and underlying conditions and who are at higher risk for COVID-19 complications.
“I know the crucial role community health centers play in keeping our most vulnerable neighbors healthy from both sides. When I was uninsured, I relied on a community health center to provide my health care. Years later, I served as a nurse at two community health centers and cared for individuals struggling with mental health and comprehensive medical health issues. Without these facilities, thousands of St. Louis residents would be left without access to mental health and routine medical care. Because of our work in Congress, our nation’s community health centers will have the critical funding they need to provide the breadth and depth of care during and after this pandemic.”
Twenty-eight health centers in Missouri will receive a combined $124 million, including $26 million for four community health centers in St. Louis. These funds, which will be awarded beginning April 1, are a crucial piece of the federal government’s ongoing effort to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines and improve the overall health of the communities most impacted by this virus.
The following St. Louis community health centers will receive funding as part of the American Rescue Plan:
- Affinia Healthcare will receive $10,897,250
- Betty Jean Kerr - People's Health Centers will receive $6,681,000
- CareSTL Health will receive $4,133,000
- Family Care Health Centers will receive $4,574,875
For a complete list of the Missouri community health centers awarded funding, click here.
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Congresswoman Cori Bush represents Missouri’s First Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. She serves on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. She is also a Deputy Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a proud member of the Congressional Black Caucus. She is a registered nurse, single mother, and an ordained pastor. Following the murder of Michael Brown Jr. by a now-terminated Ferguson police officer, she became a civil rights activist and community organizer fighting for justice for Black lives on the streets of Missouri and across the country.