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Rep. Payne, Jr. Announces HHS Funding of Community Health Centers

April 8, 2020

Media Contact: Patrick Wright -- Patrick.Wright@mail.house.gov

Washington, D.C. — Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. announced that six health care facilities in Newark and Jersey City received more than $5 million in funding from the recent CARES Act stimulus bill to help Americans through the coronavirus crisis. The facilities are Horizon Health Care and Metropolitan Family Health Network in Jersey City, Newark Community Health Center and St. James Health in Newark, Rutgers University in Newark, and the City of Newark. Overall, the Department of Health and Human Services awarded 24 New Jersey health care centers more than $25 million.

"I was excited to hear that these critical community health care providers would get the funding they need to continue to fight this global pandemic," said Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. "I was particularly pleased to know that Newark Community Health Centers received more than $1.6 million. Dr. Pamela Clarke and her staff are doing courageous work in the fight to keep the coronavirus from spreading in our urban neighborhoods. I am glad to know they will get the financial resources they need to save lives in Essex County."

Rep. Payne, Jr. voted for the CARES Act and he has been working diligently to help get life-saving aid to his constituents and all Americans during this difficult time. He co-wrote a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve a ventilator design that could help supply local hospitals in New Jersey and the rest of the country immediately. As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response & Recovery of the House Committee on Homeland Security, he has been in constant contact with FEMA officials to press them on when supplies will be available nationwide. Recently, he asked FEMA to establish a third federally-funded coronavirus testing facility in New Jersey in a letter signed by the entire New Jersey Congressional Delegation. The Congressman would like to locate it in Essex County, part of his district, because it is second in state coronavirus cases behind Bergen County. Essex County does have a local testing facility, but it is for residents only.

In addition, he has supported three coronavirus-related aid bills in the House. The first one, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R. 6074), provided $8.3 billion to fund medical efforts and became law on March 6, 2020. The second one, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201), provided free coronavirus testing for all Americans and mandatory paid sick leave for all workers. It was signed into law on March 18, 2020.

The third one and most recent one, Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (H.R. 748), provided more than $2 trillion in emergency financial aid to Americans through direct payments, unemployment benefit increases and funds to state and local governments to combat this global public health threat. The bill would give direct payments of $1,200 to Americans who earn less than $75,000 and $2,400 to families who earn less than $150,000 as well as $500 for each child. Also, it would provide $349 billion to assist small businesses, $150 billion to state and local governments to help them handle coronavirus-related expenses, and $200 billion to support America's hospitals and health care workers.

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