The White House says it wants community health centers that serve the poor to play a larger role in health care reform, and the administration is highlighting the efforts of a local clinic.
Space is at a premium at the Unity Health Cares Upper Cardozo clinic in Columbia Heights. The bustling, four-story facility in northwest D.C. is packed with patients, and they're lucky. Each day, around 400 people call for appointments, and the clinic can only see about 175 of them. Yesterday, first lady Michelle Obama visited the clinic and announced it had been awarded a $2.5 million grant to renovate and build around 20 new examination rooms. The money is from the federal stimulus package, but it's also part of the White Houses effort to trim health care costs by focusing on preventive care. Upper Cardozo sees nearly 20,000 patients a year. Officials with the center say the stimulus funding will boost their capacity by about a third.
Patrick Madden reports...
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