California State Treasurer Fiona Ma is reminding health facilities that the California Health Facilities Financing Authority (CHFFA) Lifeline Grant Program still has millions of dollars in grant money to disburse and the program is coming to an end soon. Lifeline grants are administered by CHFFA, which is chaired by Treasurer Ma.
The program assists small and rural health facilities, including community-based clinics, that may be adversely affected financially by a reduction or elimination of federal government assistance (also known as a federal trigger) and that have little to no access to working capital.
Health facilities are encouraged to apply for an award as soon as possible, but no later than April 25, 2020. Health facilities that were awarded grants before June 30, 2020 have until June 30, 2022 to receive disbursements.
“The lack of access to working capital can threaten the quality, accessibility, and availability of the services provided by health care facilities,” said Treasurer Ma. “This program especially assists those small or rural health facilities that may be adversely financially affected by decisions in Washington, D.C. We are now actively reaching out to communities everywhere that may need this funding before the program goes away.”
Since its inception, CHFFA has made 40 Lifeline awards for a total of $7.8 million. Of these awards, approximately $3.6 million have been disbursed, leaving approximately $4.2 million available for disbursement to existing grantees and $12.2 million available for award to new grantees.
The list of grantees that have already received grants include:
| Grantee | Federal Trigger | Disbursement |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Valley Health Centers | Affordable Care Act Individual Mandate | $1,240,450 |
| Laguna Beach Community Clinics, Inc. | Medicare Reimbursements | $219,415 |
| Mountain Health & Community Services, Inc. | Healthcare Infrastructure Investment Program | $1,250,000 |
| Operation Samahan, Inc. | Title X Family Planning | $130,201 |
| Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley, Inc. | Title X Family Planning | $218,247 |
| Winter’s Healthcare Foundation, Inc. | Healthcare Infrastructure Investment Program | $250,000 |
| Canby Family Practice | Universal Service Funding | $250,000 |
| Total | $3,558,313 |
The grants may be spent on working capital for core operating support such as maintenance or operating expenses, including salaries, rent, and
supplies.
Mountain Health & Community Services Inc. used its Lifeline Grant Program funding to avoid layoffs to staff, particularly to those staff engaged in enrolling patients in Covered California, as well as to continue its initiative to provide medical homes for all its patients. These funds restored Covered California Enrollment Counselors, which provided access to health insurance for patients, allowing them to seek and pay for care as well as improving the coordinated delivery of health care services to its low-income patients through work to obtain Patient-Centered Medical Home accreditation.
Grant writer Steven Plunk called the grant money “essential” aid during a challenging period.
“On behalf of all the low-income families who received essential health care services through Mountain Health, we thank the California Health Facilities Financing Authority for their support during a challenging time for community health center,” he said.
For more information on the Lifeline Grant Program, to apply for grant funding, or learn about other grant funding opportunities, please visit CHFFA’s website.