WASHINGTON – The Penobscot Community Health Center in Bangor and the Katahdin Valley Health Center in Patten will receive grants totaling $1,466,343 to expand the range of health care services that they offer, U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins announced Wednesday. The “New Access Point Grants” were awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Awarded were:

. $649,676 to the Penobscot Community Health Center in Bangor,

. $816,667 to the Katahdin Valley Health Center in Patten.

The grants are part of the Consolidated Health Center Program, which funds a national network of community health centers, migrant health centers, health care for the homeless centers, public housing primary care centers, and school-based health centers.

The goal of the program is to increase access to health care services for patients regardless of health insurance status or ability to pay, by creating new health center sites and expanding services at existing centers.