PR gets $4.1M for healthcare, firefighting services
Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón announced Tuesday the awarding of federal funds in the amounts of $3.5 million to the Barceloneta Primary Health Services Inc. health care center, and $613,914 to the Puerto Rico Firefighter Corps.
“The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and of Homeland Security both confirmed the granting of highly needed funds to provide medical, dental and pharmacy services to the population in need, as well as to provide our firefighters with the necessary equipment for better emergency response,” she said.
The money for Barceloneta Primary Health Services Inc. will be disbursed by HHS under the H80- Health Center Cluster program.
These funds are destined for health care centers that serve populations in designated medically disadvantaged locations or to populations with limited health care access included migrant and seasonal rural workers, the homeless, and public housing residents.
Meanwhile, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program is managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the Homeland Security Department together with the U.S. Fire Administration to strengthen the preparedness and the capacity for safety agencies to respond in fires and related hazards.
The purpose of the program is to provide funding directly to Fire Departments, independent Emergency Medical Service organizations and the state fire academies to improve their ability to protect the public health and safety and that of the first responders themselves, González said.