School based health center in planning stage, to be affected by the Affordable Care Act

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Staff Writer

After receiving a $20,000 grant from the Colorado Health Foundation to begin planning to build a School Based Health Center on the Pagosa Springs Middle School Campus, Archuleta School District 50 Joint and the community advisory committee (CAC) will move forward with the project in the new year. As the committed medical sponsor for the SBHC, Pagosa Springs Medical Center representatives will also play an integral role in initial planning. The SBHC will eventually provide combined preventative care, primary care and mental health services, among potential others, to Archuleta County students.

The 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) has impacted the propagation of new SBHCs as well as the functioning of existing centers nation wide. Upon passage, the ACA allocated approximately $200 million in funding between 2010 and 2013 to address the financial needs of SBHCs. Via the ACA, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) allocated approximately $109 million to SBHC programs and school districts in 2011 and 2012. These funds were used to both expand and enhance services provided at existing clinics and create new SBHCs in medically underserved and rural areas. An additional $80 million was allocated to these entities in 2013. All of these funds were awarded as grants by the HRSA through the School Based Health Center Capital Program (SBHCC).

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