Contact: Brian Robinson 202-225-5901

Washington, Sep 24, 2007 - U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland is pleased to announce that Palmetto Health Council has received an annual $404,861 federal grant to develop and operate a community health clinic to serve the uninsured and underinsured in Carroll County.

“This is great news for the people of Carroll County, particularly those worried about access to high-quality health care because of high costs and the lack of insurance,” Westmoreland said. “Palmetto has a successful track record developing and operating community health centers. In fact, the Carroll facility will be the fourth Palmetto operation in the 3rd Congressional District, joining centers in Heard, Lamar and Pike counties.”

The Carroll community health center will open in January 2008. Palmetto anticipates serving 2,750 patients in the first year and expanding to full capacity in year three, serving 4,450 patients.

“Community health centers are an innovative and cost-effective. There’s no silver bullet that will cover all of our uninsured population, but health centers are a component of the solution to the ever-rising cost of health care for Georgia’s working families.

Local clinics operate on federal funds and patient payments, so they come at no cost to the local and state government. They also relieve a lot of pressure and expense for local hospitals.

“Too often, Georgia families without insurance go the emergency room when they get sick,” Westmoreland said. “That’s inefficient, wildly expensive – and dangerous, because it diverts resources from true emergencies. In recent years, the Bush administration has pushed successfully to develop new community health centers and expand existing ones throughout the country. It’s a cost-effective means to provide working families with access to primary care. A trip to an emergency room for standard care costs taxpayers and hospitals, on average, more than $1,000 per visit. A visit to a community health center, by contrast, is going to be closer to $100. These ventures are good for working families trying to make ends meet, and they’re good for the taxpayers too.

“This grant leads the way on a new venture that will benefit the entire community; I look forward to continuing to work with Palmetto Health Council to improve access to health care for the people of Georgia’s 3rd Congressional District.”