Today, U.S. Representative Darren Soto announced that Florida’s 9th Congressional District has received a total of $4.5M in grants since March 25, 2020 for health services. The majority of this sum has been awarded to Primary Care Medical Services of Poinciana, Inc. and Central Florida Health Care, Inc. They will use these grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for additional COVID-19 testing, hospital capacity and economic security for Central Florida.
“This $4.5 million is a great win for our district as we continue to fight this pandemic. To overcome this difficult and unprecedent time, we must start with the health of our constituents,” stated Rep. Soto. “These grants are imperative to ensure that our local federally-qualified health clinics are capable of expanding their services where needed.”
These grants from HHS will also aid in combatting racial disparities in Central Florida by making coronavirus testing more accessible to communities of color which are being hit the hardest right now. According to the Center of Disease Control, almost one-third of infections nationwide have affected African-Americans and likewise nearly one-third of those who have died as a result of this pandemic are African-American. Locally, we have witnessed high rates of COVID-19 among African-American and Hispanic communities in Central Florida, including Orlando’s Parramore.
Rep. Soto’s office has pledged to continue to push for mobile testing, treatment and funding to protect all communities equally.
