INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Eight Indiana community health centers are sharing in more than $7 million in federal funding that will allow them to serve thousands more patients by renovating or expanding their operations.

The funding from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services is part of $260 million the agency recently awarded to nearly 300 health centers in 45 states.

The HHS estimates the money for health centers in Gary, Jeffersonville, Indianapolis, Portage, West Lafayette, Merrillville and Clinton will allow them to provide care for another 24,000 low-income Hoosiers in medically underserved areas.

The agency awarded $2 million last fall to other community health centers in Indiana for construction and renovation projects.

HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell says “Health centers are cornerstones of the communities they serve.”