Norwich — United Community & Family Services has been awarded a $1 million federal grant from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration as a Federally Qualified Health Center, U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, announced May 25.

Courtney previously helped UCFS to secure its designation as a Federally Qualified Health Center in 2015.

“UCFS has become an indispensable component of our local health care community and I am very pleased that HHS has awarded them a substantial federal grant to support their work,” Courtney said in a news release. “I am very glad that we were able to help UCFS gain recognition as a Federally Qualified Health Center in 2015 and that designation is clearly paying dividends for them and our local community. I will continue to work with UCFS to review opportunities for federal support.”

Jennifer Granger, president of UCFS, said the grant funding will enable the clinic to continue its expansion of services, including its new dental site in Griswold and improved enrollment and outreach efforts.

"This grant will provide UCFS with three additional years of sustained funding to continue providing our community with the highest quality preventative and primary care,” she said.

Federally Qualified Health Centers trace their roots to President Lyndon B. Johnson’s "Great Society" War on Poverty initiatives, but were bolstered by significant federal investments through the Affordable Care Act. The ACA authorized $11 billion in grants to be distributed to FQHCs between 2011 and 2015. In 2015, Congress appropriated an additional two years of funding.

However, on Sept. 30, 2017, the fund will expire and FQHCs across the country will lose up to 70 percent of their funding source. Courtney recently joined his colleagues in requesting continuing funding for this important source of primary care serving medically underserved populations and areas.