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posted on Wednesday, April 01, 2015
Community Health Center (CHC) leadership and staff joined
national leaders and partners in public health and the health care
industry at the 2015 National Association of Community Health
Centers (NACHC) Policy & Issues (P&I) Forum in Washington
DC March 18-22. This year marked the 50th Anniversary Year of
the CHC program. Attendees celebrated the proud CHC history with
many of the pioneers whose vision created the health center model.
Among the attendees was H. Jack Geiger, a doctor and civil rights
activist who initiated the U.S. health center model.
The NACHC P&I also provided an opportunity for the CHC
leadership to hear what is at stake in the immediate future as
health centers confront changes in Congress and a difficult budget
environment. CHCs set aside one day during the conference to meet
with their members of Congress and key staff. A big focus this year
was the possibility of facing a funding cliff. The Health Centers
Fund, which makes up more than half of all funding for the national
Health Centers Program, will end October 2015. If CHCs are not
funded at their current levels, South Carolina CHCs would see up to
a 70 percent reduction in grant funding, forcing a reduction or
elimination of staff and services at CHCs.
"While in DC, South Carolina delegates met with our Congressional
members and key congressional staff to educate them about the
mission and the many accomplishments of our Community Health
Centers in South Carolina," said Lathran J. Woodard, CEO of the
SCPHCA. "It was also an opportunity to have a discussion with our
members of Congress on the funding cliff that health centers are
currently facing and the potential impact on the health care
services in South Carolina."
CHC leadership also asked their member(s) of Congress to co-sign
Dear Colleague letters to express general support for Health Center
Funding in FY2016 and a fix to the Health Center Funding
Cliff.
For NACHC P&I photos: /latest-news/photo-galleries/2015-nachc-pi.aspx
Note: On April 14, the U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly to
pass H.R. 2 (92-8). This bill includes $7.2 billion in
mandatory funding for the Health Centers Program, as well as
continued funding for the National Health Service Corp (NHSC) and
Teaching Health Centers (THC) for two years.