GRANHOLM - Governor Showcases Recovery Act at Work with Tour of West Michigan Health Center

LANSING - Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today visited the Westside Health Center in Grand Rapids, a branch of Cherry Street Health Services, to highlight the role of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) in expanding services to Michigan's most vulnerable citizens and create jobs in the state's growing health care sector. Cherry Street has received two Recovery Act grants totaling more than $2.4 million.

"The Westside Health Center is a vital source of quality health care for the families, children, and seniors in this community during these challenging economic times," said Granholm. "The Recovery Act funding enables Westside and other Cherry Street Health Services branches to hire additional medical and dental staff necessary to meet the increased need."

Michigan's 29 federally qualified health centers (FQHC) have received more than $34 million through the Recovery Act, including $8.3 million to add providers or expand services and $29 million to upgrade facilities and expand the use of electronic health records. The funding will help extend health care services to more than 53,000 patients and retain or create 152 health-related jobs in the state.

Health centers deliver preventive and primary care services to patients regardless of their ability to pay, and charges are set according to income. Michigan's health centers serve nearly 500,000 patients annually, more than a third of which are uninsured. Governor Granholm has worked tirelessly to help Michigan FQHCs expand operations and reach more citizens in need of essential health care services.

The Recovery Act grants received by Cherry Street Health Services will allow them to hire 13 health care professionals, including a dentist and dental hygienist at the Westside Health Center, which will enable them to provide 12,000 medical and dental encounters over the next two years. Cherry Street serves over 45,000 low-income patients annually.

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