Contact: Rob Ostrander 202-224-5721 Shana Stribling 202-224-0309
Saturday, January 17, 2004

SEDALIA, MO Senator Kit Bond today announced that he has secured $300,000 in federal funds for the the Regional Health Care Clinic in Sedalia. Bond also applauded the clinic for their commitment to delivering quality health care to the Sedalia community and surrounding areas.

"Since opening their doors this health clinic has provided access to quality, essential health care for families in need in Sedalia and surrounding areas," said Bond. "I will continue to partner with Sedalia's dedicated community leaders as we work to ensure that the community's growing health care needs are met."

Recognizing that a growing number of people in the community were struggling to find access to quality medical care, community leaders came together to establish a health clinic in 1998. Since then the clinic has continued to grow, but the demand for services is currently exceeding capacity. To address these growing needs, the Regional Health Care Clinic has applied to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to become a Federal Qualified Health Center. This would allow the clinic to expand staff, increase clinic visits, establish satellite sites and increase capacity to serve more patients a month.

In order to help the clinic deal with the increased demand today, Bond secured $300,000 in federal funds in the omnibus spending bill currently pending in Congress. These dollars will serve as critical seed money to support the development and enhancement of comprehensive primary care services with the goal of ultimately securing ongoing federal funding as a new community health center which will serve the entire region and all individuals regardless of ability to pay.

Bond told Sedalia community leaders that he will continue to lead the fight in Washington to double the number of people served by health centers nationwide and to expand access to quality primary and dental care through health centers across Missouri. In order to see this goal realized he secured an additional $113 million in the omnibus spending bill for health centers, which will bring the total federal funding for health centers to over $1.6 billion – the highest level in program history.

Bond has recognized the importance of community health care since he served as Governor and has work to expand access to high-quality care across the state. With Bond's leadership over the years, Missouri has built a network of 17 community and migrant health centers in both urban and rural Missouri, with 90 comprehensive, community-based clinics that serve more than 230,000 patients in over 911,000 visits each year.

Since 2001 federal funding for health centers has increased by $599 million, a 40% increase, under bond's initiative. This new money has allowed health centers to serve nearly 4 million more patients and open hundreds of new sites nationwide.

"If we continue to make strategic investments from the federal, state and local levels in this highly effective and efficient delivery model we can truly make a difference and serve those who are in the greatest need," said Bond.

Kit Bond is Missouri’s senior Senator and is now in his third term after having served the state previously during two terms as Governor.