<b>From staff reports</b>

Rep. Joe Cunningham (D-S.C.) announced Wednesday, April 8 that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would be awarding health centers in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District more than $1.6 million in funding to help their COVID-19 response, as a part of funding authorized by legislation Cunningham supported in Congress.

The total includes $932,015 for the Beaufort-Jasper-Hampton Comprehensive Health Services.

The funding comes from the bipartisan stimulus bill, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which passed the House on March 27 and was signed into law. This will support health centers’ ability to detect, prevent, diagnose, and treat COVID-19.

The awards will also help maintain or increase health capacity and staffing levels to address this public health emergency.

“Health centers like those in Beaufort and McClellanville already play a critical role in our rural communities by delivering essential services to folks who live nearby. We are only seeing this increase throughout the coronavirus pandemic, as health centers like these have become essential community testing and screening sites, and help alleviate the burden on hospitals and emergency rooms across the country,” Cunningham said in a release. “That’s why I advocated that we ensure our local health care providers and organizations, as well as our municipalities and counties, all have the resources they need to keep our communities safe. These groups are on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic, and I will continue to fight to make sure they get the support they need.”