Thanks to some moves at the federal level, Valley Health Partners is now eligible to receive hundreds of thousands in federal dollars, helping the nonprofit community health center expand its reach and serve more people who may not otherwise have access to affordable healthcare.<\/p>\n
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently announced $102 million in New Access Points awards to significantly expand the reach of the Health Resources & Services Administration\u2019s Health Center Program. Under this expansion, Valley Health Partners is set to receive $650,000 in federal funding each year.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecoming a federally funded community health center represents an important milestone in VHP\u2019s journey. It recognizes the work of our colleagues every day to ensure that comprehensive health care is accessible to everyone regardless of their income, insurance status, or background,\u201d Valley Health Partners CEO Veronica Gonzalez said.<\/p>\n
Valley Health Partners is an independent nonprofit that operates healthcare facilities in Allentown, Easton and Monroe County. Its services include primary care, dental, vision, psychiatry, pediatrics, same-day, women\u2019s health, substance use treatment and chiropractic. It also provides pharmacy services and in January, Valley Health opened the only pharmacy in South Side Easton<\/a> after CVS at 620 Old Philadelphia Road closed 10 months earlier.<\/p>\n During a news conference last week, Gonzalez said VHP already has 50,000 members across its service area, and the federal dollars will allow Valley Health to do more. She said that it will create a care access point at the Pocono YMCA in Stroudsburg and Allentown School District\u2019s Family Community Resource Center, where it will offer primary care, behavioral health and social services.<\/p>\n The federal expansion made Valley Health Partners eligible to be a federally qualified health center, which are designated nonprofits or facilities that provide comprehensive primary care and preventive services to underserved communities. There are additional requirements they must meet, including having a governing board composed of at least 51% active patients of the center, and patients must be billed on a sliding scale that accounts for income and family size.<\/p>\n In return for meeting these requirements, centers receive enhanced financial reimbursements, special liability protections and are eligible for exclusive federal grant funding.<\/p>\n VHP was meeting those requirements, but because of a limit on the number of allowed health centers, it was considered a \u201clookalike.\u201d That means that while it operated under the same rules, it was not eligible for grant funding. \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n