MIDDLEPORT — Middleport’s Family Health Care will add an additional family doctor, nursing and clerical staff with the latest award of federal stimulus funds.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the release of $8 million to expand services offered at community health centers in Ohio. Family Health Care is one of those centers and will receive $316,405 from the latest award for its six centers in Chillicothe, McArthur, Logan, The Plains, New Lexington and Middleport. All of them will see staffing increase and other improvements through this latest award.

Its executive director, Mark Bridenbach, said a second physician can be added to the Middleport staff sometime in August through this funding award.

A family doctor and nurse practitioner now see patients at the Middleport practice. Another receptionist might also be added to the local office staff, Bridenbach said, through this funding award.

The money was made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and comes as more Americans join the ranks of the uninsured, the White House said Monday.

“More Americans are losing their health insurance and turning to health centers for care,” said Health Resources and Services Administrator Mary Wakefield. “These grants will aid centers in their efforts to provide care to an increasing number of patients during the economic downturn.”

Bridenbach agreed that demand for medical care for the uninsured has increased in these bad economic times. Family Health Care offers services on a sliding fee scale, accepts private insurance, and offers services to those with no insurance. Co-pays are minimal.

“The additional funding for staff will allow us to expand services at a time when demand is on the increase,” Bridenbach said. “We are seeing more uninsured patients due to higher unemployment.”

The Increased Demand for Services funds will be distributed to 32 federally qualified health center grantees in Ohio. The health centers will use the funds over the next two years to create or retain approximately 147 health center jobs.

The IDS awards are the second set of health center grants provided through the Recovery Act. On March 2, President Obama announced grants worth $155 million to 126 new health centers.

Bridenbach said he expects $1.5 billion in additional stimulus funding to be made available for new construction of health centers. (See related story.)