Title: 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.
Policy area: Health

Summary:
This resolution supports the designation of National Health Center Week and encourages Americans to participate in this week by visiting their local health center.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1079 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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. Cardenas, 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. 
  Barragan, 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. Sanchez, 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 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 patient-majority boards, 
        ensuring that the patients of each health center are engaged in their 
        own health care decisions;
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;
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
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the designation of National Health Center 
        Week; and
            (2) 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.
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