Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #111275

Janina Austin, MBA, Helene Toiv, MPA, Anne McDermott, ScD, Donna Almario, MPH, and Julie Thomas, MPA. Health Care, U.S. Government Accountability Office, 441 G St., NW, Washington, DC 20548, (202)512-7162, toivh@gao.gov

Health centers that receive federal grants under Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act were established to increase the availability of primary and preventive health care services for low-income people living in medically underserved areas. The President's Health Centers Initiative was launched in fiscal year 2002 to expand the nation's health center network by creating new or expanded health center sites in 1,200 communities by the end of fiscal year 2006. In this session, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) will discuss findings from our study of the health center program. We will discuss (1) the geographic distribution of health centers under the President's Initiative; (2) information on the process and criteria the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) uses in funding grantees through the health centers program; (3) HRSA's monitoring of health center performance; and (4) health centers' efforts to provide specialty care for their patients.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to describe the regional and urban/rural distribution of health centers, the process and criteria the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) uses to fund grantees, HRSA's efforts to monitor health center performance and compliance with program requirements, and the challenges health centers face in securing specialty care for their patients.

Keywords: Community Health Centers,

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.