Imperial County Local Health Authority grants $1.3 million due to COVID-19

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY)-The Imperial County Local Health Authority Commission (LHA) grants over $1.3 million to local hospitals, clinics, and non-profit organizations to provide essential services for those in need of assistance due to the pandemic.  

“It really took a lot of work to pull this whole funding package together in a very short period of time. A lot of thought went into figuring this out,” Lee Hindman, chairman of the LHA, said following an emergency meeting of the Authority’s Commission.

The grants could go out to eligible agencies by the end of the month.

The LHA was created by county ordinance in 2014 and is funded by Medi-Cal managed care health plan California Health & Wellness (CH&W). 

“Our goal with the Emergency Response grants was to both assist with unanticipated immediate needs as well as to continue the LHA’s long-term goal of improving the local healthcare system and access to care for Medi-Cal recipients,” stated Hindman.

LAH says the largest share of the grant funding will go to El Centro Regional Medical Center (ECRMC) and Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District (PMHD) and their outpatient centers.

ECRMC and PMHD will each receive $300,000. The Clinicas de Salud del Pueblo will receive $150,000 and the MD Community Care Center will receive $75,000. The County Public Health Department will get a grant of $150,000.

A total of $363,613 of the LHA grant funding is for non-profit organizations.

To learn more about LHA, click here.