More than $2.3 Million for Improving Access to Health Care Secured by Senator Collins
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she secured $2,397,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending for requests that will support improving access to health care throughout Maine in the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill. Congress has passed the bill, and the President has signed it into law.
“Increased access to health care for Mainers across the state – in both rural and urban communities – is vital,” said Senator Collins. “As Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I worked hard to secure this funding, which will help make it easier for Maine health care providers to meet residents where they are.”
Funding secured by Senator Collins to improve access to health care in the FY24 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill is as follows:
PCHC Dental Clinic in Waldo County
Recipient: Penobscot Community Health Center
Project Location: Belfast, ME
Amount Secured: $1,322,000
Project Purpose: To construct a public health dental practice, co-located with the primary care space.
Health Care In-Reach Mobile Access Project
Recipient: Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter
Project Location: Waterville, ME
Amount Secured: $75,000
Project Purpose: To purchase a mobile health unit to serve unsheltered individuals in Mid-Maine.
Northern Light Telehealth
Recipient: VNA Home Health & Hospice d/b/a Northern Light Home Care & Hospice
Project Location: Statewide
Amount Secured: $1,000,000
Project Purpose: To acquire telehealth devices for hospice and home health patients.
This funding is part of the 231 targeted investments Senator Collins secured through the FY2024 appropriations process, driving more than $577 million to the state for projects throughout each of Maine’s 16 counties.
In 2021, Congress reinstituted Congressionally Directed Spending. Following this decision, Senator Collins secured more than $500 million for hundreds of Maine projects for FY2022 and FY2023. As Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins is committed to championing targeted investments that will benefit Maine communities.
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