Two new health clinics, funded in part by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, are already providing jobs and will soon serve community residents who depend upon health centers for medical care. Congresswoman Kathy Castor participated Saturday in the grand opening of a new Tampa Family Health Center clinic in North Tampa. Today, she broke ground on a new Women’s Health Center in South St. Petersburg, part of the Community Health Centers of Pinellas network. Both clinics are producing jobs and results for our neighborhoods. Castor was instrumental in securing the Recovery Act funds for the projects.

“The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is creating jobs in some of our hardest-hit neighborhoods,” Castor said. “With these investments in our communities, we are putting folks to work in both the construction and healthcare sectors while giving our neighbors access to quality, affordable health care. These are fine examples of the Recovery Act working in our neighborhoods.”

On Saturday, Tampa Family Health Centers opened a new clinic at 7814 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, the site of a former Saturn car dealership. The state-of-the art clinic offers medical, dental and pharmacy services. It has 28 exam rooms and 10 dental rooms. It is creating approximately 20 medical jobs immediately, and potentially up to 60 in the near future.

On Tuesday, Castor participated in the groundbreaking of a new Women’s Health Center, to be located adjacent to the Johnnie Ruth Clarke Health Center in St. Petersburg. Community Health Centers of Pinellas was awarded $1.1 million through the Recovery Act for construction of the new health center and to expand the use of electronic health records throughout the network’s clinics.

The new Women’s Health Center will include six exam rooms and provide family planning, obstetric and gynecological care. Building the clinic will create construction jobs.

“Too often, women are busy taking care of everyone else, leaving little time to care for their own health needs,” Castor said. “Women are at high risk for some of the leading chronic conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes, which can be detected and often prevented when women see a doctor for regular screenings and checkups.  Regular screenings at local health centers, like Johnnie Ruth Clarke, will enable women to detect these risk factors early and seek treatment.”

The new Tampa Family Health Centers clinic is open. The Women’s Health Center in St. Petersburg is expected to open by early next year.

“We are spurring economic development and creating jobs in neighborhoods that need a boost,” Castor said. “That is the intent of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.”