III 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 31 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that the week of August 7, 2005, be 

designated as ‘‘National Health Center Week’’ in order to raise awareness of health services provided by community, migrant, public housing, 

and homeless health centers, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 1, 2005 

Mr. COLEMAN (for himself and Mr. DURBIN) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that the week of August 

7, 2005, be designated as ‘‘National Health Center 

Week’’ in order to raise awareness of health services 

provided by community, migrant, public housing, and 

homeless health centers, and for other purposes. 

Whereas community, migrant, public housing, and homeless 

health centers are nonprofit, community owned and operated health providers and are vital to the Nation’s communities; 

Whereas there are more than 1,000 such health centers serving more than 15,000,000 people in over 3,600 communities; 
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•SRES 31 IS

Whereas such health centers are found in urban and rural 

communities in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, 

Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands; 

Whereas such health centers have provided cost-effective, 

high-quality health care to the Nation’s poor and medically underserved (including the working poor, the uninsured, and many high-risk and vulnerable populations), 

acting as a vital safety net in the Nation’s health delivery 

system; 

Whereas these health centers provide care to 1 of every 7 uninsured individuals, 1 of every 9 Medicaid beneficiaries, 

1 of every 7 people of color, and 1 of every 9 rural Americans, all of whom would otherwise lack access to health 

care; 

Whereas these health centers are engaged with other innovative programs in primary and preventive care to reach 

out to over 621,000 homeless persons and more than 

709,000 farm workers; 

Whereas these health centers make health care responsive 

and cost-effective by integrating the delivery of primary 

care with aggressive outreach, patient education, transportation, translation, and enabling support services; 

Whereas these health centers increase the use of preventive 

health services such as immunizations, Pap smears, 

mammograms, and glaucoma screenings; 

Whereas in communities served by these health centers, infant mortality rates have been reduced over the past 4 

years even as infant mortality rates across the country 

have risen; 

Whereas these health centers are built by community initiative, and run by the patients they serve; 
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•SRES 31 IS

Whereas Federal grants provide seed money empowering 

communities to find partners and resources to recruit 

doctors and needed health professionals; 

Whereas Federal grants on average contribute 25 percent of 

such a health center’s budget, with the remainder provided by State and local governments, Medicare, Medicaid, private contributions, private insurance, and patient fees; 

Whereas there are more than 100 health centers that receive 

no Federal grant funding, yet continue to serve their 

communities regardless of their patients’ ability to pay; 

Whereas all health centers tailor their services to fit the special needs and priorities of their communities, working 

together with schools, businesses, churches, community 

organizations, foundations, and State and local governments; 

Whereas all health centers contribute to the health and wellbeing of their communities by keeping children healthy 

and in school and helping adults remain productive and 

on the job; 

Whereas all health centers encourage citizen participation 

and provide jobs for nearly 100,000 community residents; 

and 

Whereas the designation of the week of August 7, 2005, as 

‘‘National Health Center Week’’ would raise awareness of 

the health services provided by all health centers: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates the week of August 7, 2005, as 

3 ‘‘National Health Center Week’’; and 
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•SRES 31 IS

1 (2) requests that the President issue a procla2 mation calling upon the people of the United States 

3 to observe the week with appropriate ceremonies and 

4 activities. 

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