PATTEN, Maine — The federal government has awarded a total of $3.9 million in grants to fund the operations of two Aroostook County health centers.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded $2,736,329 to the Katahdin Valley Health Center in Patten and $1,171,272 to Pines Health Services in Caribou, U.S. Sen. Angus King announced on July 7.
The funding was made as part of a three-year cycle through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency within HHS that is tasked with improving access to healthcare.
“People throughout our state rely on rural health providers for the essential health services that keep them happy and healthy,” King said in a statement. “This federal funding will support these facilities and help ensure access to top-quality care for the communities they serve.”
Pines Health Services has locations in Caribou, Presque Isle, Washburn, Fort Fairfield and Van Buren and offers comprehensive primary care, integrated behavioral health, and a number of specialty services to residents throughout Aroostook County. The center provides enhanced care to the unserved and underserved in the region and also to individuals who cannot pay for routine services.
In a letter of support that King wrote for the Pines Health Services award, the senator said he was “impressed by [its] experience and commitment to a collaborative approach to regional health issues.”
“Pines Health Services continues to be a leader in innovative and effective methods to rural health care and its reputation is outstanding,” the senator stated. “It is because of its work in conjunction with community and public health partners that PHS is able to consistently provide high quality health care services and to advance the wellness of communities throughout The County.”
Katahdin Valley Health Center provides accessible, quality care to northern Penobscot, southern Aroostook and Piscataquis counties. Services include dental care, podiatry, optometry, pharmacy and behavioral health services from clinics in Patten, Houlton, Island Falls, Millinocket, Ashland and Brownville. The federally qualified health care center has invested significant funding in renovating operations and expanding services in the region over the past few years. In 2015, KVHC secured a $3 million loan to build a new administrative office facility in Patten. In 2013, a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services was used to expand the Ashland Health Center. KVHC also used a $1.8 million loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development to renovate and expand the health center in Houlton to include a new dental clinic.
The Health Resources and Services Administration has funded the facilities in the past, providing Pines Health Services in Caribou $56,791 last year and Katahdin Valley Health Center in Patten $55,495.
