Health Center will get $22,300 from Douglas County to help install software and train staffers on a new system for electronic health records and integrated practice management.

And it could help boost the number of low-income patients the clinic can see, and increase the amount of money the operation can collect.

Douglas County commissioners approved the one-time expense Wednesday, clearing the way for the clinic in the Lawrence Riverfront Plaza, Sixth and New Hampshire streets, to complete its $78,000 project.

Jon Stewart, CEO of the center, said that the center was in line to earn federal designation that would allow the clinic to claim reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid equal to $110 per patient, rather than the current $29.

“It’s certainly worth the investment, in my mind,” said Jim Flory, commission chairman.

Commissioners also approved an agreement to give $225,000 — $112,500 in each of the next two years — to the state, to help keep the Lawrence office of Social and Rehabilitation Services in town.