ARCADIA — The DeSoto County Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved a proposal by representatives from the county’s health department to submit an initial application for a $650,000/year, two-year federal grant to extend the county’s Primary Care Program through 2014. The grant would allow the county to continue services of the PCP until the Federal Affordable Care Act goes into effect in 2015. The application would be implemented by the health department, but the county would be the responsible entity and applicant.

The DeSoto County Health Department’s Mary Kay Burns and Penny Kurtz presented initial details of the grant and application process, pointing out the large impact the grant could have on the reach of the county’s health care programs.