[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 843 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 843

  Expressing support for the designation of the first week of August 
  2026, as ``National Community Health Center Week'', encouraging all 
  people of the United States to participate by visiting their local 
  community health center, and celebrating the important partnership 
    between community health centers and the communities they serve.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 7, 2026

 Mr. Cornyn (for himself, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. Justice, Mr. Lankford, 
 Mrs. Capito, Mr. Marshall, Mrs. Fischer, Ms. Lummis, Mr. Wicker, Mr. 
Welch, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Booker, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Wyden, Mr. 
  Blumenthal, and Ms. Klobuchar) submitted the following resolution; 
                   which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing support for the designation of the first week of August 
  2026, as ``National Community Health Center Week'', encouraging all 
  people of the United States to participate by visiting their local 
  community health center, and celebrating the important partnership 
    between community health centers and the communities they serve.

Whereas, for over 60 years, community health centers have provided access to 
        high-quality, affordable, comprehensive, preventive care for individuals 
        in the United States, having a positive impact on the health system of 
        the United States;
Whereas, as the largest primary care network in the United States, over 1,500 
        community health centers provide high quality care for up to 52,000,000 
        individuals in 17,000 communities, such that 1 in 7 individuals across 
        the United States and 1 in 3 in rural areas rely on community health 
        centers;
Whereas community health centers are an important element of the health system 
        of the United States, serving rural, suburban, island, frontier, and 
        urban communities, often as the only accessible and dependable source of 
        primary care;
Whereas community health centers are responding to the growing burden of chronic 
        disease by expanding access to nutrition services and lifestyle 
        counseling, reducing expensive emergency room visits and hospital 
        admissions, and keeping the people of the United States healthy;
Whereas community health centers integrate a wide range of services into primary 
        care, such as mental health, dental, vision, hearing, and pharmacy 
        services, creating a one-stop shop for all health-related needs;
Whereas community health centers are uniquely governed by patient-majority 
        boards, ensuring communities are fully engaged in the strategy of 
        community health centers for improving care access and quality;
Whereas community health centers are locally operated nonprofit organizations 
        that empower local economies by generating nearly $262,000,000,000 in 
        economic activity across the United States;
Whereas community health centers nationally support 809,000 jobs, including 
        physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, counselors, 
        dentists, pharmacists, and community health workers on multidisciplinary 
        teams;
Whereas the community health center model of care is effective at overcoming 
        barriers to access, improving health outcomes, and saving taxpayer 
        dollars;
Whereas, in 2025, community health centers provided cancer screening to nearly 
        11,000,000 patients and helped more than 4,000,000 patients control 
        their hypertension and nearly 2,500,000 patients control their diabetes;
Whereas community health centers are on the front lines of addressing opioid 
        overdoses, responding to health care needs arising from natural 
        disasters, expanding access to care for our veterans, and operating 
        nearly 4,600 school-based sites and over 1,300 mobile units to reach 
        people living in rural and remote areas; and
Whereas National Community Health Center Week offers the opportunity to 
        recognize the contributions of every community health center: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) honors the dedicated staff, board members, patients, 
        and all those responsible for the continued success of 
        community health centers since the first centers opened their 
        doors 6 decades ago;
            (2) celebrates the legacy of community health centers and 
        their vital role in shaping the past, present, and future of 
        the health system of the United States;
            (3) supports the designation of the first week of August 
        2026, as ``National Community Health Center Week''; and
            (4) encourages all people of the United States to 
        participate in National Community Health Center Week by 
        visiting their local community health center and celebrating 
        the important partnership between community health centers and 
        the communities they serve.
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