IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1079 

Expressing support for the designation of August 9 through 15, 2020, as 

National Health Center Week and encourages all Americans to take 

part in this week by visiting their local health center and celebrating 

the important partnership between America’s community health centers 

and the communities they serve. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

AUGUST 7, 2020 

Mr. ENGEL (for himself, Mrs. WALORSKI, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. CONNOLLY, 

Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. CISNEROS, Mrs. DAVIS of 

California, Mr. SARBANES, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. BALDERSON, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. PRICE of North Carolina, Mr. 

MCKINLEY, Mr. COX of California, Mr. TRONE, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, 

Ms. JUDY CHU of California, Mr. CA ́RDENAS, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Ms. 

TITUS, Ms. KAPTUR, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. DANNY

K. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. YOUNG, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Mr. NADLER, Mr. 

FOSTER, Mr. MARSHALL, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. CUELLAR, Mrs. 

BEATTY, Ms. PORTER, Mr. KILDEE, Mrs. LEE of Nevada, Mrs. LOWEY, 

Mr. SCHIFF, Ms. NORTON, Mr. LAHOOD, Mr. HIGGINS of New York, Mr. 

SIRES, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. FUDGE, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Mr. 

LYNCH, Mrs. TRAHAN, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Mr. VELA, Mr. CROW, Ms. 

FINKENAUER, Mr. COHEN, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. LANGEVIN, Ms. JOHNSON

of Texas, Mr. BARR, Mr. CUNNINGHAM, Ms. SA ́NCHEZ, Mr. THOMPSON

of Pennsylvania, Mr. WOODALL, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. HARDER of 

California, Mrs. AXNE, Mrs. HAYES, Ms. BROWNLEY of California, Ms. 

SEWELL of Alabama, Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. 

SMITH of Washington, Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. EVANS, Mr. RASKIN, Ms. 

PRESSLEY, Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York, Mr. KING of 

Iowa, Mr. EMMER, and Mr. COMER) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing support for the designation of August 9 through 


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•HRES 1079 IH 

15, 2020, as National Health Center Week and encourages all Americans to take part in this week by visiting 

their local health center and celebrating the important 

partnership between America’s community health centers 

and the communities they serve. 

Whereas for over 50 years, community health centers have 

provided high-quality, affordable, and comprehensive primary and preventive health care in our Nation’s underserved communities, delivering value to, and having a significant impact on America’s health care system; 

Whereas the country’s largest primary care network, community health centers are the health care home for 

30,000,000 Americans in over 14,000 communities across 

the Nation; 

Whereas 1 in every 12 people in the United States gets care 

in a community health center; 

Whereas community health centers are a critical element of 

the health system, serving both rural and urban communities, and often providing the only accessible and dependable source of primary care in their communities; 

Whereas nationwide, community health centers serve 1 in 

every 5 residents of rural areas; 

Whereas every day, community health centers develop new 

approaches to integrating a wide range of services beyond 

primary care, including oral health, vision, behavioral 

health, and pharmacy services, to meet the needs and 

challenges of their communities; 

Whereas community health centers are governed by patientmajority boards, ensuring that the patients of each health 

center are engaged in their own health care decisions; 


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•HRES 1079 IH 

Whereas community health centers are locally owned and operated small businesses that serve as critical economic engines, helping to power local economies by generating 

$54,600,000,000 in economic activity in some of the 

country’s most economically deprived communities; 

Whereas community health centers nationally employ more 

than 236,000 people, including physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and certified nurse midwives 

who work as part of multi-disciplinary clinical teams designed to treat the whole patient; 

Whereas the community health center model continues to 

prove an effective means of overcoming barriers to health 

care access, including geography, income, and insurance 

status, improving health care outcomes and reducing 

health care system costs; 

Whereas community health centers reduce overall costs of 

care by helping manage chronic conditions of patients, 

which keeps them out of costlier health care settings like 

hospital emergency rooms; 

Whereas community health centers are on the front lines of 

emerging health care crises, providing access to care for 

our Nation’s veterans, addressing the opioid epidemic, 

and responding to public health threats in the wake of 

natural disasters; 

Whereas community health centers serve as beacons of essential resources and support in testing and treatment in the 

face of the global coronavirus pandemic, and will continue 

to offer reliable, affordable, and high-quality care against 

COVID–19 for America’s most vulnerable and underserved communities; 


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•HRES 1079 IH 

Whereas during the COVID–19 pandemic, health centers 

served as front line responders and were able to provide 

tests to 1,549,690 patients over a 4-month period; 

Whereas National Health Center Week offers the opportunity 

to celebrate America’s over 1,400 health center organizations with over 12,000 service delivery sites, their dedicated staff, board members, patients, and all those responsible for their continued success and growth since 

the first health centers opened their doors more than 50 

years ago; and 

Whereas during National Health Center Week, we celebrate 

the legacy of America’s community health centers, and 

their vital role in shaping the past, present, and future 

of America’s health care system: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) supports the designation of National Health 

3 Center Week; and 

4 (2) encourages all Americans to take part in 

5 this week by visiting their local health center and 

6 celebrating the important partnership between 

7 America’s community health centers and the com8 munities they serve. 

Æ 


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