The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) has awarded fifty (50) health care agencies $1.6 million in grants to increase their capacity to provide primary health care to Utah’s medically underserved. The medically underserved include Utahns who are not eligible for CHIP, Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance or the Primary Care Network.

The Primary Care Grants Program provides much-needed health care services to those who lack access to care. Target populations are the working poor, children, the elderly, Native Americans, migrant and seasonal farm workers, individuals with chronic diseases, the homeless, and single heads of household.

Primary care service supports include acute care, adult immunizations, support for chronic illnesses, dental treatment, diabetes control, mental health services, preventive care and women’s health.

The State Primary Care Grants Program uses a competitive bid process. Fifty-seven (57) grant applications totaling nearly $2.2 million were considered for State Fiscal Year 2007-2008 funding, with $1,576,259 being awarded to 50 projects. Twenty-eight (28) of the approved projects are in rural and frontier areas of the state and several projects encompass more than one county.

The grants were awarded to a variety of facilities across the state, including local health departments, community health centers and an urban homeless program. Nineteen of the projects provide dental services, five target diabetes, nine provide mental health services and six offer women’s health services.

In all, the 50 projects will serve an estimated 19,500 Utahns through June 30, 2008. Some examples include:

1. Bear Lake Community Health Center: Dental services for 320 underserved individuals in Box Elder, Cache and Rich Counties;

2. National Alliance on Mental Illness, Utah Chapter: Mental health funding to provide services to 300 Utahns through the Mind/Body Initiative at health clinics in Davis, Salt Lake, Utah and Weber Counties;

3. Cedar City Community Clinic and Valley View Medical Center: Primary care funding for 900 individuals in Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Kane counties;

4. Family Dental Plan, Utah Department of Health: Community Partnered Mobile Dental Van providing services to 162 individuals in Garfield, Grand, Kane, San Juan, Sanpete, Wayne counties;

5. Centro de la Familia de Utah: Dental services for 95 underserved individuals

in Box Elder, Cache, Davis, Sanpete, Utah, Weber counties; and

6. University of Utah, College of Nursing: Birthcare Healthcare at the Ellis R. Shipp Clinic, providing services to 385 women and teens in Davis, Salt Lake, Tooele, and Utah Counties.

For more information call Don Beckwith, Health Program Manager of the Office of Primary Care and Rural Health, at 801-538-6818. For a complete list of funded programs, visit http://health.utah.gov/primarycare/pdfs11-00/PrimaryCare/07-08Awards.pdf.

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