posted by
Institute Staff
Community Health Centers Around the Nation Are in Limbo, Awaiting Final Federal Spending Bill
January 25, 2018
In what has been an unprecedented funding lapse, Congress has yet to fund the nation’s community health centers, the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program, and other critical “health care extenders” that comprise the health care safety net.
At the Institute, like other health centers around the country, our federal funding helps us to provide care for uninsured and low-income individuals. We provide services that are not billable to insurance companies like care coordination services and outreach/services to help people apply for and maintain health insurance. Over the last few years, thanks to our federal funding, we’ve been able to expand our substance abuse treatment services, extend oral health hours and hire new staff. The Teaching Health Centers program and NHSC have helped us to fill provider roles that are sometimes hard to fill. This is critical to providing quality care to our growing patient population.
Lawmakers are expected to negotiate the federal spending bill again in early February. You can take action by continuing to spread the word about the importance of these programs and reaching out to your elected officials.
