Washington, DC -- Congressman Eliot Engel announced that $500,000 in federal funding from the Department of Health and Human Services for Montefiore Medical Center to expand school-based health programs established by the Affordable Care Act.

Rep. Engel said, “In my district, school-based health centers are vitally important.  Even the high school from which I graduated, Evander Childs, has a wonderful center.  It is the kind of program that we should be promoting and replicating.

“This grant is part of a $95 million nation-wide program to add some 440,000 patients to the approximately 790,000 patients now being served in the program,” said Rep. Engel. “Locally the money will allow Montefiore to expand its current facilities or establish new sites. Montefiore is a nationally known, award winning hospital known for its Children’s Hospital and the quality of its care.”

"We are grateful to Congressman Engel for all he has done to support funding to help  us improve the health and well being of the Bronx children we serve," says Steven M. Safyer, MD, President and CEO of Montefiore Medical Center. "Our 18 school-based health programs provide comprehensive and integrated medical, mental health and dental care and serve close to 30,000 children, keeping them healthy and active in school."

The $95 million is allocated from $200 million set aside by the Affordable Care Act to be appropriated to school-based health centers between 2010-2013. This funding is part of the first round of the grants program.

“This funding is an important step to providing quality health care for all Americans, regardless of economic standing,” Rep. Engel said. “The $95 million is being awarded to 278 school-based health center programs across the country.”

Rep. Engel fought repeated attempts by the Republican House majority to rescind the Affordable Care Act and its funding for the school-based health centers.

“Despite all of this early success of the Act, the Republican majority has spent their first months in power voting to repeal it and put insurance companies back in charge of health care,” said Rep. Engel. “If they had their way, insurance companies could arbitrarily deny coverage to sick children, community health centers would be defunded, and people would have fewer options to prevent disease rather than having to treat deadly illnesses after they are contracted.”

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