HRSA Awards Affordable Care Act Grant to Ohio State University

$100 million to improve inpatient and outpatient care and new research opportunities

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) today announced that Ohio State University will receive a $100 million grant for construction and renovation of a health care facility that provides for outpatient clinical services, inpatient tertiary care and research facilities.  The funding was made available by the Affordable Care Act.  The Health Resources and Services Administration is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Eligibility for the award was limited by Congress to institutions of higher education with an academic health center at a public research university in the United States that contains the State’s sole public academic medical and dental school.  The Health Resources and Services Administration was charged with creating an independent, competitive process for the selection of the grant award.

“This award will enable Ohio State University to strengthen their ability to provide needed inpatient and outpatient clinical care, while at the same time making substantial improvements in their research capabilities,”  said HRSA Administrator Mary K. Wakefield, R.N., Ph.D.

A key criterion for this award required the winning institution’s State to provide evidence of a dedicated funding mechanism to supply the resources necessary for project completion, as this grant could comprise no more than 40 percent of the total project’s cost.

“As with many of HRSA’s grants, this open competition was judged by an external objective review committee who met and scored each application,” said Wakefield.  "The review committee was staffed with non-Federal experts in the areas of health care administration, health facility construction and design and capital finance.”

HRSA officials will continue to maintain close contact with the university to monitor construction progress and provide technical assistance as needed to help ensure the successful completion of the project.

The Health Resources and Services Administration is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  HRSA is the primary Federal agency responsible for improving access to health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated, or medically vulnerable.  For more information about HRSA and its programs, visit www.hrsa.gov.