Join Me in Celebrating National Health Center Week!
National Health Center Week (NHCW), held annually in August, is when America’s 1,400 health centers take center stage to celebrate and elevate the comprehensive health care they provide to more than 31.5 million patients annually – bringing awareness to their communities, patients, staff, and elected officials. It’s one of my favorite times of the year.
The Health Center (CHC) Program is a testament to the power of community-driven initiatives. From its inception in the underserved communities of Apartheid South Africa, to its beginnings in 1965 as a part of the Civil Rights Movement, the Health Center Program is now the cornerstone of community-based primary health care in the U.S. By integrating medical, dental, behavioral, and other health care services, simultaneously addressing the many complex needs and social drivers within their communities, CHCs provide patients with the right care at the right time and in the right place, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay.
Health centers give me hope for the future. That’s why I’ve dedicated my career to serving the needs of CHCs and their patients. Three years ago, a group of exceptional leaders representing some of our nation’s largest CHCs came together with a bold vision to change federal policy, and I took the helm of Advocates for Community Health (ACH) with a drive and commitment to bring that vision to reality.
We have been bold in our vision every day since – because it’s what patients need and deserve.
One in nine health center patients are children, and across the 31.5 million health center patients, 90% of them are at or below 200% of the federal poverty line. Health centers serve more than 24.2 million uninsured, Medicaid, and Medicare patients. They are a safety net for our rural, urban, and underserved communities caring for nearly 15,000 communities in every state in the nation, as well as US territories.
We must let members of Congress know what’s at stake without robust, long-term funding and a stable 340B program – what these 31.5 million patients stand to lose without access to comprehensive, culturally sensitive health care. There’s a deadline looming for Congress to act once again.
As many of you may remember, on September 30, 2017, the CHC Fund expired with no extension in place, threatening 70%+ of health center federal grant funding, leaving CHCs in limbo and in financial dire straits. While a multi-year authorization was eventually passed and health centers were provided the funding they need, this scenario has repeated itself again and again as Congress has chosen a short-term patchwork approach rather than long term sustainable funding. At ACH we are working hard to ensure health centers don’t have to contend with abrupt financial shortfalls and unpredictability in their grant funding – we are committed and aggressively advocating that they have the resources they need to help their patients and communities thrive.
The CHC Fund expires once again on December 31, 2024, and it is critical that this deadline is met not with another continuing resolution, but with a multi-year authorization that increases funding to a level that reflects the needs of these innovative community hubs and the complex patient populations they serve.
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The best way to celebrate health centers during National Health Center Week is to call on Congress to provide increased funding to ensure the future of the Health Center program and, equally important, to safeguard vitally important resources like the 340B Drug Discount Program.
Nearly 60 years after the CHC Program began, our centers need your help to continue caring for their patients. Join me in calling on Congress this week to secure tomorrow’s health care by take action to support Health Centers. We’ve put together resources to make it easier for you.
And, as always, if I can help, send me a message. Happy National Health Center Week!
CEO
Advocates for Community Health