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Health Committee Chair Pleased That City Will Invest Tobacco Settlement Funds In Health Care for District Residents
Washington, D.C. – Today, Councilmember David Catania (At-Large) joined Mayor Adrian Fenty to announce over $50 million in health care grants to District organizations. The grants are part of the proceeds obtained when the city securitized its latest round of payments as part of the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between tobacco companies and 46 states. Today’s awards are capital grants and represent the first of three rounds of awards.
“I am very excited by the awarding of these grants,” said Catania. “We are fortunate to have a Council and a Mayor who understand the importance of investing in the health care of District residents.”
The three awardees were the District of Columbia Primary Care Association (DCPCA) ($29 million), the Washington Hospital Center (WHC) ($10 million), and a partnership between United Medical Center (UMC) and Children’s National Medical Center (CNMC) ($11 million). DCPCA will use its awards to supplement its medical homes project to improve primary care options in the city. WHC plans to increase emergency room capacity in the event of a catastrophic event through its ER1 project. And UMC/CNMC will construct and operate a pediatric emergency room at UMC – the city’s only hospital east of the Anacostia River.
The city securitized its tobacco settlement funds in 2006 and the Committee on Health sponsored the "Community Access to Health Care Omnibus Amendment Act of 2006” to provide a roadmap for their expenditure. Specifically, the legislation authorized a study of the District’s health needs performed by the RAND Corporation in order to determine the best method of using these dollars.
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