Durbin Discusses Impact Of COVID-19 With Howard Brown Health
SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined Howard Brown Health employees to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on Community Health Centers (CHCs) and his efforts to secure additional federal funding for CHCs on the frontlines of the public health crisis. On the call, Durbin thanked Howard Brown’s health care workers for serving more than 35,000 patients each year and for their efforts to launch new initiatives to address COVID-19, including creating a COVID-19 hotline for patients with questions, offering tele-health services, and establishing Community Cares Stations to deliver medical evaluations and COVID-19 testing.
“Howard Brown Health has been a lifeline to thousands of patients each year, and in the midst of an ongoing public health crisis, the organization has stepped up yet again to serve the greater Chicago community,” said Durbin. “I want to thank Howard Brown Health for its nearly 50 years of dedication to patients, and I’ll continue to fight on the federal level to provide as much support as I can for Illinois’ Community Health Centers.”
The CARES Act allocated $1.3 billion for CHCs, and extended the Community Health Center Fund, which was set to expire in mid-May, through the end of November. To date, 45 Illinois CHCs—including Howard Brown Health—have received an additional $52 million to help serve patients in need during this pandemic. The funding will help these centers increase COVID-19 screening and testing, acquire medical supplies and protective equipment, and boost telehealth capacity.
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