The Hamilton County Health Department will receive $2.7 million to upgrade and expand, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The grant is part of $24 million awarded in Tennessee and $727 million to community health centers nationwide from the Affordable Health Care Act, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a news release today.
Georgia was awarded more than $8 million. The money will go to health centers in Columbus and Wrightsville, the release stated.
HHS figures show the Tennessee grant will enable community health centers to serve approximately 12,790 new patients. Besides Chattanooga, grants were awarded to Cookeville, Johnson City, Linden and Rogersville.
The centers deliver preventive and primary care services. About 40 percent of their patients have no health insurance, Sebelius said in the release.