During the visit, Kennedy said the funding aligns with the administration's healthcare priorities.
"President Trump has given us a clear mandate to make America healthy again and that requires changing what we expect from our healthcare system," Kennedy said.
Kennedy and Health Resources and Services Administration Administrator Tom Engels toured the facility and participated in a roundtable discussion with doctors and healthcare staff before speaking with the media.
"This is one of the most effective models we have for delivering primary care in America. We should be expanding it, and President Trump is committing to doing so," Kennedy said.
Castle Family Health Centers was selected as the site of the announcement after being chosen from more than 600 applications to receive full federal funding.
"This is a historical day," Castle Family Health Centers CEO Peter Mojarras said.
The secretary's visit also drew attention from patients at the facility.
"I'm impressed. I'm thoroughly impressed that he's here. Who would've thought," patient Lynnette said.
When asked how confident he was that the funding would remain available for rural health centers, Kennedy said, "Anything can happen in the future; at this point, we're talking about money that is already been appropriated."
Engels said the investment marks the beginning of future support.
"This is just the start. The money they received today will build going into the future. They joined a growing group of federally qualified health centers across the country," Engels said.
Castle Family Health Centers has served Merced County for the past 16 years. Mojarras said the organization operates under significant financial constraints and hopes federal officials understand the challenges facing rural healthcare providers.
"We operate in a very, very tight budget. People were joking that we're turning off the lights and making sure that we're monitoring inventory. That is true," Mojarras said.
Engels said new health center locations funded through the initiative will primarily be located in urban and rural communities.
Castle Family Health Centers also hopes to pursue grant funding, expand its mobile healthcare services and increase access to telemedicine.
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