The funding will help communities tackle “chronic disease at its roots,” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Aug. 13 it is making a “historic” $102 million investment to establish new healthcare centers to meet the rising medical needs of Americans.
The funding, provided through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), will be disbursed as grants to expand HRSA’s Health Center Program. The health centers established under the program provide medical, mental health, dental, substance use disorder treatment, and other services to people.
The $102 million in funding will support 158 new and existing health centers to set up 415 new sites, HHS said.
“Strong primary care prevents disease and gives Americans greater control over their health,” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in the statement. “This $102 million investment will bring high-quality care to nearly one million more Americans, expand prevention and nutrition services, and help communities tackle chronic disease at its roots. We are giving more Americans the tools to live healthier lives and Make America Healthy Again.”
The funding is the first major expansion of the Health Center Program since the first term of the Trump administration.
HRSA-funded health centers offer comprehensive primary care to more than 32 million people through more than 16,000 service sites across the United States. It serves one out of five rural residents, one in 15 adults aged 65 and above, and one in eight children.
In addition to the funding, HRSA is developing a platform that will enable health centers to find American-made products, HHS said.
According to HRSA data, last year, around 90 percent of patients treated at HRSA-funded health centers had incomes at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.
“Health center patients have better outcomes at lower cost. This is true even though health centers treat people who are sicker and have lower income,” HRSA said.
In 2025, health centers ensured that more than 3.9 million patients had controlled hypertension, screened around 2.1 million patients for breast cancer and 4.6 million for cervical cancer, and provided mental health services to 3.1 million individuals.
