With the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, better known as the "Stimulus Package," signed into law, Community Health Centers will play a critical role in expanding health care for millions of people as well as preserving and creating jobs in thousands of communities.

Highlights of the Stimulus Package for Community Health Centers include:

$1.5 Billion for Capital Needs
Construction, renovation, equipment, and acquisition of Health Information Technology (HIT) for Section 330-funded health centers.

$500 Million for Strengthening Health Center Operations 
This funding will be used to provide supplemental payments to existing health centers to address spikes in uninsured patients during the economic downturn, and to fund new sites and additional services at existing sites.

Medicaid Incentive Payments to Boost Health Information Technology
The stimulus package will provide significant Medicaid incentive payments to health centers. Eligible health centers can receive almost $65,000 per health provider for allowable Health Information Technology costs. Enabling all health centers in the nation to use Health Information Technology will improve quality and lower costs.
  
$500 Million for Primary Care Workforce Funding
The stimulus package also contains $500 million for primary care workforce training and loan repayment. $300 million of this funding is set aside for the National Health Service Corps, a source of primary care clinicians practicing in community health centers. $75 milion of this funding can be used through 2011 to extend the contracts of existing National Health Service Corps professionals working in underserved communities.