WASHINGTON – First Lady Michelle Obama announced the release of $851 million in grants to Community Health Centers on Monday.

The Recovery Act Capital Improvement Program (CIP) grants will support the construction, repair and renovation of more than 1,500 health center sites nationwide. More than 650 centers will use the funds to purchase new equipment or health information technology systems, and nearly 400 health centers will adopt and expand the use of electronic health records.

“For centers around the country, these Recovery Act grants will mean new diagnostic equipment, renovation of facilities that need repair, expanding computer centers to help manage electronic medical records, adding on new staff (and) expanding programs that work. And over the next two years, Recovery Act dollars for community health centers will expand desperately-needed services to more than 2.8 million people,” said Obama, who made the announcement while visiting Unity's Upper Cardozo Health Center in Washington.

The CIP grant awards are the third set of health center grants provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“And there's another part of this equation beyond health,” continued Obama. “When Unity builds those 20 new exam rooms, they'll be creating jobs and putting people to work in construction and renovation. When a health center in rural Illinois purchases a new computer center, it's going to keep a programmer in the Silicon Valley on the job. So as we provide quality healthcare to more people, there will be this multiplier effect that will also provide more jobs to more workers."

“Just think about the impact of all these Recovery Act grants all over the entire country. Every single health center that applied for a grant will receive at the very least $200,000. 

And every dollar of every grant is going to make a difference in the life of someone in need,” Obama said.

To see a list of Recovery Act CIP grantees by state, go to www.hhs.gov/recovery.