Health care construction and renovation projects in Maine will get $11M boost

COURTESY / Penobscot Community Health Center Penobscot Community Health Center in Bangor is one of 18 community health centers that will share $11 million for construction and renovations.

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By Staff

The federal government has awarded $11,171,482 to 18 Maine community health care centers to support major construction and renovation projects.

The money comes from the American Rescue Plan, created in March.

Awarded through the Health Resources and Services Administration, the funds will go toward the construction of new facilities and the renovation of existing ones in medically underserved communities that have been disproportionally affected by the pandemic.

“This latest American Rescue Plan funding will strengthen this critical part of our healthcare infrastructure, allowing us to fight COVID-19 and improve healthcare access and services for years to come,” U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said in a news release.

Gov. Janet Mills said the money will strengthen Maine’s system of community health centers and expand access to health care, particularly in rural parts of the state.

Maine’s community health centers will use the funding for COVID-19-related capital needs, constructing new facilities, renovating and expanding facilities to enhance pandemic response, and purchasing state-of-the-art equipment, including telehealth technology, mobile medical vans and freezers to store vaccines.

The funding will be allocated as follows:

Regional Medical Center at Lubec – $534,243
Harrington Family Health Center – $533,429
Saint Croix Regional Family Health Center – $535,673
Pines Health Services – $667,057
Bucksport Regional Health Center – $572,688
Sacopee Valley Health Center – $561,194
HealthReach Community Health Centers – $804,634
Portland Community Health Center – $598,274
York County Community Action Corporation – $559,235
Maine Mobile Health Program – $513,123
Sebasticook Family Doctors – $563,283
Islands Community Medical Services – $516,560
Health Access Network – $622,683
D.F.D. Russell Medical Center – $576,604
Eastport Health Care – $543,284
Katahdin Valley Health Center – $674,856
Fish River Rural Health – $578,540
Penobscot Community Health Center – $1,216,122.

Earlier this month, King announced the award of nearly $1 million in American Rescue Plan funds improve testing in Maine’s at-risk communities, coming on the heels of $41 million for local Maine health centers, funds to make health insurance more affordable, and support for vaccination, testing, tracing and other medical needs required to control the virus.

The construction money comes at a time when most of Maine’s large health systems have numerous construction and renovation projects in the pipeline.