[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 45 (Thursday, March 15, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3207-S3209]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KENNEDY (for himself, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Roberts, 
        Mr. Harkin, Mr. Bond, Ms. Mikulski, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Bingaman, 
        Mr. Domenici, Mr. Reed, Ms. Murkowski, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. 
        Bennett, Mr. Obama, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Brown, and Mr. Burr):
  S. 901. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide 
additional authorizations of appropriations for the health centers 
program under section 330 of such Act, tot he Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, it's an honor to join Senator Hatch and 
my

[[Page S3208]]

HELP Committee colleagues today in introducing this bill to reauthorize 
the community health centers program. The Health Centers Renewal Act 
extends the program through 2012, it authorizes the funds needed to 
stabilize existing centers and enable them to increase their capacity 
and funds for new centers in underserved areas that have no existing 
center.
  The community health centers program has been a success story by any 
measure over the past 40 years. It began as a two-site demonstration 
project for ``neighborhood health centers'' in 1965, with funds for 
Columbia Point in Massachusetts and Mound Bayou in Mississippi. The 
health center model was the brainchild of two young physicians and 
civil rights activists, Dr. H. Jack Geiger and Dr. Count Gibson. Their 
model was intended to address both health care and the roots of 
poverty, by giving communities a voice in their health care through a 
patient-majority community board, by creating jobs and investments in 
local communities, and by focusing on primary care and reducing health 
disparities among income groups.
  Today, more than 1,000 health centers provide good health care to 16 
million patients each year. They provide safety nets in their 
communities for the most vulnerable Americans, and bring care to 1 of 
every 4 Americans living in poverty. Nearly 70 percent of health center 
patients have incomes below the poverty line, and two-thirds are 
members of racial and ethnic minorities. Health centers give those who 
are so often disenfranchised in our society a voice in their own health 
care and in the care available in their community. Health centers are 
also an incentive for economic growth, providing 50,000 jobs across the 
country for residents in their communities.
  As the number of uninsured and underinsured persons grows each year, 
the need for health center services increases. More than 40 percent of 
health center patients have no health insurance and their number is 
increasing. Another 36 percent of patients have coverage through 
Medicaid or CHIP, and cuts in these programs affect health centers as 
well. As the number of patients who rely on health centers continues to 
grow, we must provide the funds needed to open new centers in areas 
that are underserved and to provide additional funds to enable existing 
centers to meet the growing demand for care.
  The funding authorized in this bill will provide stability and 
expanded services in existing centers, and enable new centers to open 
in areas that have no centers today. The legislation will keep health 
centers on track to serve 20 million patients by 2010 and more than 23 
million patients by 2012. It also provides the funds needed to expand 
existing health centers to reach more uninsured and underinsured 
patients, open new centers in underserved areas with no current 
centers, expand coverage of mental health, dental, and pharmacy 
services to all centers, invest in information technology, and take 
other steps to improve health outcomes. Our goal in the bill is to make 
sure that health centers can provide high-quality care to their 
patients for years to come, and I look forward to its enactment into 
law.
  I ask unanimous request that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                 S. 901

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Health Centers Renewal Act 
     of 2007''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds as follows:
       (1) Community, migrant, public housing, and homeless health 
     centers are vital to thousands of communities across the 
     United States.
       (2) There are more than 1,000 such health centers serving 
     more than 16,000,000 people at more than 5,000 health 
     delivery sites, located in all 50 States of the United 
     States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, Guam, the 
     Virgin Islands, and other territories of the United States.
       (3) Health centers provide cost-effective, quality health 
     care to poor and medically underserved people in the States, 
     the District of Columbia, and the territories, including the 
     working poor, the uninsured, and many high-risk and 
     vulnerable populations, and have done so for over 40 years.
       (4) Health centers provide care to 1 of every 8 uninsured 
     Americans, 1 of every 4 Americans in poverty, and 1 of every 
     9 rural Americans.
       (5) Health centers provide primary and preventive care 
     services to more than 700,000 homeless persons and more than 
     725,000 farm workers in the United States.
       (6) Health centers are community-oriented and patient-
     focused and tailor their services to fit the special needs 
     and priorities of local communities, working together with 
     schools, businesses, churches, community organizations, 
     foundations, and State and local governments.
       (7) Health centers are built through community initiative.
       (8) Health centers encourage citizen participation and 
     provide jobs for 50,000 community residents.
       (9) Congress established the program as a unique public-
     private partnership, and has continued to provide direct 
     funding to community organizations for the development and 
     operation of health centers systems that address pressing 
     local health needs and meet national performance standards.
       (10) Federal grants assist participating communities in 
     finding partners and recruiting doctors and other health 
     professionals.
       (11) Federal grants constitute, on average, 24 percent of 
     the annual budget of such health centers, with the remainder 
     provided by State and local governments, Medicare, Medicaid, 
     private contributions, private insurance, and patient fees.
       (12) Health centers make health care responsive and cost-
     effective through aggressive outreach, patient education, 
     translation, and other enabling support services.
       (13) Health centers help reduce health disparities, meet 
     escalating health care needs, and provide a vital safety net 
     in the health care delivery system of the United States.
       (14) Health centers increase the use of preventive health 
     services, including immunizations, pap smears, mammograms, 
     and HBa1c tests for diabetes screenings.
       (15) Expert studies have demonstrated the impact that these 
     community-owned and patient-controlled primary care delivery 
     systems have achieved both in the reduction of traditional 
     access barriers and the elimination of health disparities 
     among their patients.

     SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL AUTHORIZATIONS OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR 
                   HEALTH CENTERS PROGRAM OF PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE 
                   ACT.

       Section 330(r) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
     254b(r)) is amended by amending paragraph (1) to read as 
     follows:
       ``(1) In general.--For the purpose of carrying out this 
     section, in addition to the amounts authorized to be 
     appropriated under subsection (d), there are authorized to be 
     appropriated--
       ``(A) $2,188,745,000 for fiscal year 2008;
       ``(B) $2,451,394,400 for fiscal year 2009;
       ``(C) $2,757,818,700 for fiscal year 2010;
       ``(D) $3,116,335,131 for fiscal year 2011; and
       ``(E) $3,537,040,374 for fiscal year 2012.''.

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Health Centers 
Renewal Act with my colleagues, Senators Kennedy, Roberts, Dodd, Bond, 
Harkin, Snowe, Mikulski, Domenici, Bingaman, Murkowski, Reed, Bennett, 
Clinton, Grassley, Obama, Burr and Brown.
  The Health Centers program, created over 40 years ago, has an 
outstanding record of providing quality health care services to many 
Americans who do not have adequate health insurance. This ranges from 
children to parents and grandparents, in virtually every comer of the 
United States. In fact, Health Centers are a necessary component of our 
nation's health care safety net--they supply health services to over 15 
million people in our country.
  Health Centers include community health centers, which are local, 
not-for-profit 50l(c)(3) corporations that give community-oriented 
health care and are governed by Boards of Directors that are made up of 
at least 51 percent health centers patients, to ensure that the 
patients and their communities are well represented.
  From my work in Utah, I know how important Health Centers are. They 
have made a tremendous difference for Utah's citizens with insufficient 
health coverage--Utah community health centers serve close to 85,000 
patients. Whenever I come home to Utah, I always hear wonderful things 
about the work of Community Health Centers.
  Since 2001, Congress has consistently increased funding for Community 
Health Centers to meet President Bush's goal of having 1,200 new or 
expanded centers. The new dollars have provided services to four 
million new patients and have added facilities in over 750 communities 
across the country. By reauthorizing this program, Health Centers will 
give low-cost health care to many more deserving individuals.
  S. 901 I will reauthorize the Health Centers program for 5 more 
years; it includes funding levels of: $2,188,745,000

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in fiscal year 2008; $2,451,394,400 in fiscal year 2009; $2,757,818,700 
in fiscal year 2010; $3,116,335,131 in fiscal year 2011; and 
$3,537,040,374 in fiscal year 2012. These numbers are based on the 
National Association of Community Health Centers; NACHC, growth plan--
NACHC's goal is for Community Health Centers to serve 20 million 
patients a year by 2010 and 30 million patients a year by 2015.
  I believe that Community Health Centers are worth every dime that our 
government invests in them.
  Utah Health Centers have made a tremendous difference in the lives of 
many Utahns--66 percent of patients come from Utah's urban areas and 27 
percent are from the rural parts of the state. Ninety-six percent of 
Utah Health Center patients' incomes are below 200 percent of the 
Federal Poverty Level. Utah Health Centers have literally changed these 
patients' lives, serving as a link to the health care safety net system 
for the medically underserved and uninsured. In rural areas, Health 
Centers are often the only health care provider.
  Community Health Centers have made a huge impact on people's lives. I 
am pleased and proud to support them by introducing this legislation 
today.
  I urge my colleagues to cosponsor this important bill, which not only 
provides people with essential health care services, but also ensures 
that the Health Centers will continue to have the funding necessary to 
provide these services.
                                 ______