President Signs Into Law Spanberger Legislation to Provide More Than $250,000 for Community Health Services in Orange County

This Funding Will Allow the Germanna Community College Educational Foundation to Equip the Newly Established Robert C. O’Neill Wellness Clinic to Provide Free Community Healthcare Services

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Joe Biden yesterday signed into law U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger’s legislation that will provide $251,000 for the Germanna Community College Educational Foundation to purchase equipment necessary to provide free healthcare services to uninsured or underinsured Orange County residents.

The funding for the Germanna Community College Educational Foundation — which Spanberger successfully secured as part of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate-passed fiscal year (FY) 2023 end-of-year government funding package — will be used for equipment necessary to provide services such as screenings and referrals, dental care, physical therapy, wellness evaluations, and wellness classes at the Robert C. O’Neill Wellness Clinic in Orange County. Wellness classes will be provided by students from the Germanna Nursing and Health Technologies program, increasing the program’s capacity for students to receive clinical hours necessary for graduation.

“Congresswoman Spanberger’s advocacy for this investment in health care access changes the wellness landscape for rural, Orange County community members,” said Dr. Janet Gullickson, President, Germanna Community College. “Through the Robert C. O’Neill Wellness Clinic, to be located in Germanna’s new Locust Grove facility, the Dr. Frank and Nancy Turnage Health Sciences Building, students will receive the training and practice they need and our neighbors in the region will have free access to health screenings including medical, physical therapist assisting, emergency medical services and dental.”

“Germanna is grateful for the support received from Congresswoman Spanberger for the Robert C. O’Neill Wellness Clinic,” said Dr. Shashuna Gray, VP of Academic Affairs and Workforce Development, Germanna Community College. “Germanna intends to double the number of nursing students over the next few years. Our mission to change the lives of the community members where we live, educate, work and play includes the mental and physical health of the community. The College will provide access by way of preventative screenings and referrals through the use of the money.”

“The Germanna Wellness Clinic at Locust Grove will fill a critical need for primary care services in our community,” said Eileen Dohmann, Senior VP & Chief Nursing Officer, Mary Washington Health Care. “The Wellness Clinic will also offer a great learning experience for our Germanna nursing and healthcare students who will do clinical rotations in the Clinic. Our community needs the Germanna Wellness Clinic.”

“In Congress, one of my top priorities is bringing home resources to address the demonstrated needs of our communities. I was proud to work directly with leaders from Germanna Community College and other local healthcare leaders to secure this funding for the Robert C. O’Neill Wellness Clinic,” said Spanberger. “Now, the Clinic will be able to serve local residents, improve community health outcomes, as well as provide Germanna nursing students with the experience they need to be successful in their careers and enter the local healthcare workforce. Thank you to the community leaders who helped to get this project across the finish line, and I am glad that this funding has been signed into law to improve the lives of the many Virginians who stand to benefit.” 

BACKGROUND

For FY2023, the U.S. House of Representatives allowed Members of Congress to submit Community Project Funding requests — as it did in FY2022. This allowed for specific, community-driven requests — like investments in the Robert C. O’Neill Wellness Clinic. Spanberger worked directly with community leaders in all 10 counties of the Seventh District to gather community-focused requests for her submissions. Click here for the full list of her submissions.

The Community Project Funding process was created to ensure that Members of Congress, in concert with the communities they represent, may submit direct applications for federal funding to support locally planned projects as part of the yearly appropriations process.

To be eligible, projects must be sponsored by local or state government entities or non-profit organizations and must be projects that would otherwise meet the qualifications to apply for federal grant funding. The purpose of Community Project Funding is to ensure direct, local engagement as part of the federal appropriations process. In line with this goal, funding applications needed to demonstrate significant local support for the projects.

Earlier this year, President Biden signed into law funding for 10 Virginia projects that Spanberger successfully secured as part of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate-passed FY2022 appropriations bill.

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