HHS Releases Healthcare Funds

WASHINGTON — Low-income and uninsured patients and American Indians are among the first to benefit from the stimulus funds provided for the healthcare industry, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The department announced access to $268 million for hospitals that serve a disproportionate share of low-income or uninsured individuals.

States must request the funding from the centers for medicare and medical services in their quarterly Medicaid budget request.

HHS also announced the availability of $500 million for the Indian Health Service to support construction and modernization and improve health information technology at IHS facilities.

The funding provides $227 million for construction of health facilities, $100 million for maintenance and renovations, $85 million for health information technology, $68 million for sanitation facility construction and $20 million for healthcare equipment, according to HHS.

Part of the funds will be used to finish construction on the Norton Sound Regional Hospital in Nome, Alaska, which replaces a 61-year-old facility too small to serve an estimated 10,000 annual users, according to the department.