By Andrew Metcalf
Woonsocket Patch
A crowd of about 100 area social workers turned out for the first of a series of presentations sponsored by Congressman David Cicilline's office to help guide local service providers to a number of federal grants.
The event focused on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and was held at the Blackstone Valley Visitor's Center in Pawtucket.
Cicilline decided to hold the series in response to the banning of federal earmarks. He hopes the workshops will help Rhode Island agencies identify competitive federal funding opportunities that will benefit the state.
"Recent federal budget cuts, including the ending of earmarks, have made it more difficult for many programs in Rhode Island to do their critical work, all the while the need for health and human services has increased due to our fragile economy," Cicilline said in a press release.
Joseph Carlin, a Nutritionist for the Administration on Aging, noted that the number of elderly Americans will double in the next 40 years, from 40 million in 2010 to 85 million in 2050, making the need for access to affordable health care even more important.
Christie Hager, the Regional Director of HHS for New England, emphasized the urgency of embracing said health care reform, noting a number of projects that HHS is working on.
Under the Affordable Care Act, President Obama's health care reform bill, HHS will be ensuring 80-85 percent of medical insurance premiums go to direct care; they will invest $350 million to fight fraud in Medicare; and plan to bring a new focus on prevention and public health.
Hager said HHS plans to go from spending $500 million on prevention and public health in 2010 to $2 billion by 2019. She said that although most of the funds are allocated to state-run organizations, local nonprofits can compete for discretionary spending grants.
Other speakers at the event directed the audience to information on how to obtain federal grants, such as grants.gov and Federal Biz Opportunities or fbo.gov.
More information on the Affordable Care Act can be found at healthcare.gov.
Cicilline also said he has one staff member dedicated to helping organizations in Northern Rhode Island find the right grant opportunities to help them continue their work. His office's contact information can be found here - https://cicilline.house.gov/contact-me.
Cicilline plans on hosting more workshops later this year to help area non-profits access federal funds.