Expansion: Community Health Center Grows, Adds Services
By Aileen Streng
News & Messenger
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Those with little or no health insurance are much closer to having a one-stop shop for medical care.
The Greater Prince William Community Health Center now provides primary care to about 6,000 residents.
This week it added prenatal care and in April it will double the size of the facility - from 7,000 to 14,000 square feet - and add dental and mental health services.
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Stimulus Put to Good Use at Health Center
By Robert McCartney
Washington Post Metro Columnist
Sunday, February 21, 2010
If you're curious about whether last year's mammoth federal stimulus package did any good, I suggest you visit the neighborhood medical clinic tucked in the back of a low-rise office building just off the Prince William Parkway in Woodbridge.
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Record Number of Uninsured at VA Community Health Centers
Public News Service-VA
February 19, 2010
RICHMOND, Virg. - While the battle rages on over health care reform in Washington, Virginia's community health centers are trying to stay ahead of a surge in patient demand, according to the association representing them. 78,000 new patients sought care at Virginia's centers in 2009, while 54 percent of them were uninsured and choosing the centers for their primary care, according to Rick Shinn, director of public affairs for the Virginia Community Healthcare Association,
"We're seeing more and more people who have lost their jobs, who have lost their insurance, who are turning to the community health centers for services they used to be able to afford."
The increase in new patients is causing financial strain, says Shinn. Proposed state budget cuts will harm some centers' ability to provide services, he adds, which could lead to higher costs for Virginia taxpayers.
"People who are uninsured or poor may not get care, particularly those who have chronic disease. This may complicate their illness, leading to increased hospitalizations and increased use of emergency rooms."
More than 100 community health centers throughout the Commonwealth provide health care services to patients regardless of ability to pay. Advocates say this reduces medical costs to the state by providing care to many who would otherwise use emergency rooms for primary care.
Windfall Lets Clinic Expand Space and Services
By Jennifer Buske
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, July 5, 2009
A year ago, the Greater Prince William Community Health Center was strapped for cash and on the brink of closing. Clinic officials were in survival mode, hoping that "Plan B," which was closing the doors indefinitely, never came.
Luckily, they said, it didn't.
Thanks to grants and close to $1.5 million in federal stimulus funds, health center officials are no longer debating how to keep the doors open. Instead, they are discussing hires and marketing strategies as they prepare to open a second wing that will double the facility's size and offer new services to the insured and uninsured in the greater Prince William County area.
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Stimulus Bill Starts Paying Off
Health Care, Police, Schools Get Funds
By Nick Miroff
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, March 8, 2009; Page PW01
Prince William County got a first dose of federal economic stimulus money last week, and officials are readying their wish lists in hopes of more cash medicine.
Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.) announced that he worked with Supervisor Frank J. Principi (D-Woodbridge) to secure $1.1 million in stimulus funds for the Greater Prince William Community Health Center, where Principi serves as executive director. Connolly said an additional $19.1 million in stimulus money has been designated for Prince William schools, and various infrastructure projects are expected to receive millions in the coming weeks. Nearly $530,000 in supplemental law enforcement funding was announced by Connolly's office Friday.
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Health Center to Stay Afloat
By KEITH WALKER
Published: March 2, 2009
The Greater Prince William County Community Health Center can last a while longer with the $1.097 million it will soon receive under the American Recovery Reinvestment Act.
Prince William Supervisor Frank J. Principi, D-Woodbridge, is the executive director of the health center and said the money would give the organization a "new lease on life."
Since then, the organization that served 4,000 patients in 2008 has raised a little more than $1 million in patient revenues and public and private donations, Principi said.
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The Battle to ProvideHealth Care in PWC
Davon Gray
Published: February 16, 2009
If we have nothing in life, we must have our health. There is an endless debate as to whether or not health care should be free, but I am glad that there is a place in Prince William County where the debate is left to politicians while care is provided to those who need it.
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