Proposed funding for capital investments and medical education and training will support critical healthcare services for communities in need

We are encouraged by the inclusion of $10 billion in capital investments and $6.5 billion in medical education and training infrastructure in the current budget reconciliation bill. This funding is essential for community health centers, which have been at the front lines of providing comprehensive healthcare to communities in need for decades. Throughout the pandemic, Advocates for Community Health members and community health centers across the country have administered more than 13 million vaccines and 12 million COVID tests. A majority of these services were provided to patients who were uninsured or underinsured, from BIPOC communities, or from low-income households.

We applaud Chairman Pallone, Health Subcommittee Chair Eshoo, and their colleagues on the House Energy and Commerce Committee for their continued championing of community health centers and the millions of Americans we serve. However, this investment is only a down payment on the $17.5 billion needed over the next five years for Federally Qualified Health Centers to adequately serve the estimated 38.5 million patients trends show they’re on track to reach.

At Advocates for Community Health, we believe that an investment in community health centers is an investment in building a more equitable, accessible, and comprehensive healthcare system. We know the pandemic has only exacerbated existing health disparities in our country and we will continue to work with our nation’s leaders to ensure that significant investments are made in the infrastructure that makes our impact possible.