Sun Life Family Health to receive $4.4M grant, O’Halleran announces

Sun Life Family Health Center will receive $4.4 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The grant was among funding announced Monday by U.S. Rep. Tom O’Halleran, AZ-01, for three community health centers in Arizona’s First Congressional District, including Sun Life Health, which serves patients in Maricopa. A total of $8.2 million in grant funding was awarded by HHS.

“Community health centers provide essential health programs and quality, affordable care to hundreds of thousands of Arizonans every year,” O’Halleran said in a news release. “I’m pleased to see much-needed federal funding awarded to support the critical work these centers do to keep our rural communities healthy.”

Also Monday, O’Halleran attended President Joe Biden’s announcement at the White House of new federal measures to make broadband more accessible and affordable for rural and tribal families.

O’Halleran worked to secure updates to the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), a broadband affordability program, within the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The program will help tens of millions of American households to reduce their internet service costs by up to $30/month, and up to $75/month on tribal lands.

Biden thanked O’Halleran and other key legislators for their work on affordable broadband service, saying it would make a “big difference.”

Biden’s Administration on Monday said it had secured commitments from internet providers to either increase speeds or cut prices, making sure they all offer ACP-eligible households high-speed, high-quality internet plans for no more than $30/month.

“As a leader on rural broadband issues long before coming to Congress, I applaud President Biden’s announcement today,” O’Halleran said in a news release. “The Affordability Connectivity Program has already made a difference for rural and tribal families in Arizona’s First District, and these updates will make broadband more affordable and accessible for those who need it most.”

The Affordable Connectivity Program is available to families whose income is at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, or if a member of the household participates in a program or meets a defining federal criterion, including Medicaid, WIC, SSI and certain tribal assistance programs.

More than 257,000 households in Arizona are currently enrolled in the ACP program.

To increase visibility of the program, the White House is launching GetInternet.gov, a new website with details on how Americans can sign up for ACP and find participating internet providers in their area.