U.S. Grants Grants $50 Million to 20 States to Ease Access to Primary Medical Care; Illinois Gets $2 Million, Mental Health Providers to be Partners

(Washington, D.C.) — Grants of $50 million to 20 states to help improve access to primary medical care so that Medicaid beneficiaries could avoid improper use of costly hospital emergency rooms was announced on April 18 by U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Illinois will receive a two-year $2,006,000 grant for the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services for an Emergency Room Diversion program that will locate new Community Health Center sites on or near hospital campuses and partners with Illinois mental health providers.

“These grants provide new programs and services to help people get the non-emergency care they need in the most appropriate setting,” CMS Acting Administrator Kerry Weems said.

These grants will help Medicaid programs fund local and rural initiatives to provide alternative health care settings for individuals with non-emergency medical needs

The first award of $26 million will fund 29 programs in 20 states, including Illinois. The remaining $24 million will be available to grantees in 2009.

Grantees will use the funds to:

• Establish new community health centers;

• Extend the hours of operation at existing clinics;

• Educate beneficiaries about new services; and

• Provide for electronic health information exchange between facilities for better coordination of care.