Tester Secures More Than $9.1 Million for Montana Health Centers for COVID-19 Response

Senator secures additional $3 million for Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council Public Health Workforce Expansion in Indian Country; Senator fought to secure $1.3 billion for health centers in the CARES Act

U.S. Senator Jon Tester today secured more than $9.1 million in relief for Montana Community Health Centers (CHCs) as they combat the 2019 novel coronavirus pandemic, as well as an additional $3 million for the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council Public Health Workforce Expansion in Indian Country.

“Our Community Health Centers are on the front lines of protecting Montana’s frontier communities from the coronavirus pandemic,” said Tester. “I fought for this funding because these centers are the backbone of health care across our state, and it’s absolutely critical that our state’s health providers have the resources they need to keep Montanans healthy and safe. I won’t let Washington leave Montana behind.”

The $9,175,780 in funding is part of $1.3 billion secured by Senator Tester for CHCs in the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Tester successfully fought to secure long term security for CHCs in the legislation, funding them through November 30, 2020, and he continues to push to ensure CHCs and rural health providers have proper access to critical supplies like test kits, ventilators, masks, and other personal protective equipment.

Tester also secured more than $3 million for the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council for the Public Health Workforce Expansion in Indian Country.

The Community Health Center funding will be distributed across 14 Montana centers:

• Community Health Care Center, Inc. (Great Falls): $503,000
• Sapphire Community Health, Inc. (Hamilton): $536,690
• Marias Healthcare Services Inc. (Shelby): $616,070
• Yellowstone City-County Health Department (Billings): $828,185
• Community Health Partners Clinic (Livingston): $759,005
• Bighorn Valley Health Center, Inc. (Hardin): $685,130
• Flathead County (Kalispell): $696,170
• Lincoln County Community Health Center (Libby): $659,900
• Butte-Silver Bow Primary Health Clinic, Inc. (Butte): $758,450
• Montana Migrant & Seasonal Farm Workers Council Inc. (Billings): $610,070
• Missoula County (Missoula): $874,850
• PureView Health Center (Helena): $503,000
• Glacier Community Health Center Inc. (Cut Bank): $557,240
• Bullhook Community Health Center, Inc. (Havre): $588,020

Tester has been working tirelessly to ensure that Montana is prepared to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Senate last week, after 72 hours negotiating substantial, bipartisan improvements to COVID-19 stimulus legislation that had previously fallen far short, Tester voted to deliver critical, urgent relief to Montana workers, families, small businesses, hospitals and others hardest hit by the outbreak. This funding includes $1.25 billion for the state of Montana.