HealthPoint is the first recipient in King County of funds provided by the 2010 Affordable Care Act. A grant of $6.8 million was awarded to help construct a new clinic in Bothell that will serve more than 6,000 low-income and uninsured patients each year.

In announcing the grant, HealthPoint Chief Executive Officer Thomas Trompeter said, “This grant is extremely important to providing health-care access to the people of Bothell. The relocation and expansion of this health center will have an immediate positive impact on the underserved people in the area. In 2010, 43 percent of patients seen at the current Bothell clinic were uninsured.”

The new location, part of HealthPoint’s network of 12 medical and dental clinics, is at 10414 Beardslee Boulevard in Bothell. Miller Hayashi Architects has been awarded the architectural contract for the building which will include 16 medical exam rooms, eight dental chairs and employ approximately 50 people.

U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary Kathleen Sebelius commented, “The timing could not be more critical. The economic downturn has made it difficult for millions of people to get preventive care to stay healthy.”

This grant is part of $11 billion included in the health-care reform package that Congress approved this year to expand clinics over a five-year period. The money is intended to ensure access to care for the millions expected to gain insurance coverage starting in 2014 through the health-care bill. Under terms of the grant, the health centers must finish the expansions and renovations within two years. In Washington, an estimated 900,000 people lack health-insurance coverage.