WASHINGTON, D.C. – On behalf of our members and health centers nationwide, Advocates for Community Health (ACH) commends Congressional leaders for coming to a bipartisan agreement and finalizing funding for the Community Health Center Trust Fund through the end of 2024 as part of the larger funding package released on Sunday night.

This funding level constitutes a 10% increase in the rate of funding for the remainder of the year and is a sorely needed step in the right direction. We are exceedingly grateful to the champions for community health centers, as well as Congressional and Committee leaders, for prioritizing funding for the nation’s largest primary care network. While the need across the country – to meet increasing patient demand, to account for historic budgetary and workforce challenges, and to continue to drive excellence in primary health care – far exceeds this number, we recognize and deeply appreciate this investment.

In addition, we are deeply grateful that both the National Health Service Corps and Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Program received increases through this calendar year, as both programs are central to the work of our members.

Community health centers served a record 31.5 million patients in 2022 and expanded behavioral health services to 7.6 million existing health center patients in need. Financial uncertainty is detrimental to health centers’ ability to respond to the growing and complex needs of their patient populations, the nation’s most vulnerable and underserved. The need for long-term funding for health centers has never been greater than it is now.

ACH looks forward to continuing to work with Congress to finalize a long-term funding package that reflects what community health centers need to continue making the investments they do in their neighborhoods every day, and what patients in under-resourced communities need to stay healthy.

###

About Advocates for Community Health

Advocates for Community Health (ACH) is a membership organization for federally qualified health centers that strives to advance the delivery of health care to underserved populations and to achieve health equity for patients and communities in need. We are committed to working collaboratively to advance well-defined and forward-thinking policies at the national level. By leveraging the wisdom, agility, and innovation of our members, ACH brings bold leadership to drive change in the American healthcare system. advocatesforcommunityhealth.org.