The Utah Department of Health has awarded 36 health-care agencies $1.4 million in grants to help provide primary health care to medically underserved individuals who are not eligible for CHIP, Medicaid, Medicare or the Primary Care Network, and who can't afford private insurance.

The State Primary Care Grants Program makes primary care services more accessible to target populations such as the working poor, children, elderly, Native Americans, migrant and seasonal farm workers, individuals with chronic diseases, the homeless and single heads of household.

The program supports acute care services, adult immunizations, chronic illness support, dental services, diabetes control, mental health services, prevention services and women's health services.

They are awarded in a competitive bid process. More than half of the approved projects are rural and several encompass more than one county.

Grantees include nine community health centers, six public health departments, two urban homeless programs, 13 projects providing dental services in 21 counties, five projects specifically targeting diabetes, three projects providing mental health services and six projects providing women's health care services. They are expected to serve more than 14,638 individuals.

They are Bear Lake Community Health Center's dental project; Bear River Health Department's mental health services, substance abuse and women's health projects; Carbon Medical Service Association, Inc. diabetes project; Central Utah Public Health Department's women's health program; dental services at Centro de la Familia de Utah; Community Health Centers, Inc.'s immunizations and diabetes project; Community Partnered Mobile Dental Services of the Utah Department of Health; Dental House Call Northeastern/ Southern Dental Project.

Dixie State College of Utah's Dental Hygiene Outreach Program; Washington County's Enterprise Valley Medical Clinic Dental and Primary Care Project; Holy Cross Ministries - Promotora Case Management Services; Kane County Hospital - Cedar Mountain Medical Clinic; Midtown Community Health Center programs including oral health and mental health counseling and assessment; Midvale Family Health Clinic, Inc.