Washington, D.C. – Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva today congratulated Sunset Community Health Center in Yuma on a newly announced $456,000 grant through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to operate a mobile pediatric medical unit throughout Yuma County. Grijalva wrote a letter of support for the clinic’s application in July, which you can review at http://1.usa.gov/UNqz6j.

The new mobile unit will address the region’s severe economic and linguistic barriers to health care access. The unit is expected to provide health care to children at each of several area schools – a key goal of the School-Based Health Center Capital Program, the effort authorized by the ACA that funded the request. Sunset’s mobile unit will enable children with acute and chronic illnesses to attend school and provide health screenings to Sunset clinic services for entire families at convenient school locations.

Sunset offers care to the permanent Yuma-area community and to seasonal and migrant farmworkers speaking both English and Spanish.

“This is exactly the kind of community improvement the Affordable Care Act is bringing to communities all over the country, and today I’m prouder than ever of my vote to pass it,” Grijalva said. “Children who need health care coverage should receive it, and an investment in healthier students is an investment in our entire state. Sunset is doing great work and earned this award through years of community service.”

Grijalva highlighted ongoing conservative opposition to the Affordable Care Act and questioned whether local conservative leaders would speak against the grant. “If anyone who voted against health care reform wants to tell us that thousands of Yuma-area students living healthier lives is a bad idea, let’s hear them say so,” Grijalva said. “No more pointing fingers before a vote and enjoying the benefits afterward. This is a win for our community, and I encourage local leaders to stand up and be counted on the side of public health.”