Contact: Ernie Blazar 202.224.7627 Shana Stribling 202.224.0309
Monday, March 11, 2002

KIRKSVILLE, MO - Senator Kit Bond today announced that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will send federal funds for the health care of the uninsured and underserved in Northeast Missouri.

“I’ve said it many times before, but access to health care is probably our nation’s biggest health care problem,” said Bond. “This money will provide health care for thousands of uninsured or medically underserved Missourians.”

The Northeast Missouri Health Council in Kirksville will receive $522,500 in funds to expand a health center that will provide primary care to the medically indigent in Mercer, Schuyler, Sullivan and Putnam Counties. The Northeast Missouri Health Council anticipates serving approximately 5,000 uninsured and underserved Missourians at the new site.

Northeast Missouri Health Council Executive Director Brooks Miller stated that the funding would be used to develop and expand existing services within the counties. “We are grateful for the efforts of Senator Bond and his commitment to the people of Missouri. His leadership within the Senate in increasing appropriations for programs such as ours benefit many of the nations medically underserved and disadvantaged.”

The funding for the expansion project in Northeast Missouri is part of the HHS’s Bureau of Primary Health Care programs established to improve and expand health care access for all Americans.

Bond has led the national fight to double the service capacity of health centers by 2006 and secured a $175 million increase in funding for community health centers for fiscal year 2002. Also, as the senior Senator from Missouri and a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Bond was instrumental in securing the funds for the expansion of the health center in Northeast Missouri.