WASHINGTON — Upper Great Lakes Family Health Center, which serves patients throughout the Upper Peninsula, will receive $907,460 to help respond to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Funding can be used for staffing, personal protective equipment, screening, testing, or other needs for fighting the coronavirus outbreak. The allocation comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and was included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act signed into law March 27.

Upper Great Lakes Family Health Center has 11 clinics at nine U.P. locations, including Iron River and Menominee. It serves more than 25,000 patients each year.

“While working on the relief package from Congress, I fought to increase funding for health centers to help them meet the needs of the communities they serve during this crisis,” said U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich. “This funding will help meet the urgent need for personal protective equipment, test kits, and staffing in these centers.”

“I am pleased to see that the funding Sen. Stabenow and I pushed for in the CARES Act is being allocated to community health centers all across the state,” said U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich. ” I’ll continue working to ensure community health centers can continue to provide quality care for Michiganders during this challenging time.”

Community health centers are key players in our nation’s response to COVID-19, said Dennis Litos, interim chief executive officer of the Michigan Primary Care Association. “They’re testing, helping to stabilize people with chronic conditions, and caring for those who may need medical attention but do not meet the criteria for hospitalization — all under significant financial duress,” he said.