HRSA announces $500,000 two-year annual investment in Promise Healthcare to expand hours

Biden-Harris Administration Announces A $500,000, two-year annual Investment for Adding Early Morning, Night, and Weekend Hours at Promise Healthcare.

Promise Healthcare centers see patients regardless of ability to pay; early morning, late night, and weekend hours will provide new options for getting care for patients who lack sick leave or struggle with transportation, childcare and other issues during typical business hours.

Today, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced a $500,000 two-year annual investment in Promise Healthcare, a HRSA-funded community health center that serves 10,098 people, to expand their hours of operation to improve access to health care services.

Promise Healthcare, one of only five Illinois federally qualified health centers awarded the HRSA grant, will add additional hours of operation to support the critical clinical and administrative staff necessary to add early morning (before work), night and weekend hours.

Since health centers see patients regardless of their ability to pay, this expansion of operating hours will be particularly critical for people who are uninsured, underinsured, or have Medicaid coverage and struggle to find affordable care outside of traditional business hours and cannot afford expensive visits to urgent care, retail clinics or emergency departments. This funding will also help health center patients with common challenges in accessing health care – for example, taking a child to the doctor after work or getting a timely appointment when you are not feeling well on the weekend – and help connect patients to preventive services and resources for health-related social needs to improve health outcomes. Many patients currently forgo care altogether in these circumstances, putting their health at greater risk and leading to more expensive visits to emergency departments when conditions get more serious.

“No one should have to delay or skip a trip to the doctor because of work or school. The millions of Americans who can’t miss their daytime work shift, whose kids are in school, who have limited childcare, or who face transportation challenges deserve the same access to quality care,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “These investments will help to extend operating hours, especially for patients in rural or underserved communities nationwide. I'm proud to be part of an Administration that leaves nobody behind.”

“Today’s action is another example of the Biden-Harris Administration taking action to address the challenges families face in getting health care services,” said HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson. “Having the option to get to the doctor before or after work or on the weekend not only helps families get the care they need, but it also helps relieve some of the stress and burden on families trying to arrange care. HRSA’s investment is expanding access to care in a way that recognizes the day-to-day realities of working families across the country.”

HRSA-supported health centers provide access to primary care services—regardless of an individual’s ability to pay—for over 31 million patients at more than 15,000 service sites in high need communities. More than 90 percent of health center patients have incomes below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.

Promise Healthcare is a Federally Funded Community Health Center that services all patients regardless of their ability to pay for services. We assist patients with Medicaid and Marketplace enrollment and help enroll them in other services. Promise offers services based on a sliding fee scale for those with qualifying incomes. More information available at https://www.promisehealth.org.

Promise operates clinics at the 821 S. Neil Street location, the Frances Nelson site at 819 Bloomington Road in Champaign, and the Urbana School Health Center site at the Urbana High School Campus and a clinic at the Rantoul Schools at 424 E Wabash in Rantoul.