[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 6 (Friday, January 10, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E47]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING JACKSON-HINDS COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 10, 2014

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
remarkable Central Mississippi Civic Improvement Association, Inc. 
(CMCIA), d/b/a Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center. It was 
incorporated in October 1970 as a nonprofit 501c(3) organization to 
engage in planning and development of comprehensive health services for 
residents of poor, largely non-white, communities in Jackson, 
Mississippi and surrounding areas.
  Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center (JHCHC) is the largest 
community health center in Mississippi. Since its inception, JHCHC has 
grown from a ``one-bus-and-Sunday school-classroom'' operation to 
become a multi-site, multi-disciplinary provider of health services in 
Hinds, Warren, and Copiah counties. Jackson-Hinds is one of only two 
federally qualified health centers (FQHC) in the state operating a 
clinic for the homeless and the only FQHC operating a HUD housing 
complex for low-income elderly and disabled residents.
  A seventeen-member Board of Directors governs JHCHC. Its members 
represent civic and religious organizations, homeless persons, 
homemakers and residents of medically underserved communities that 
utilize center services and programs. Throughout its thirty-two year 
history, the Board of Directors, management and staff of JHCHC have 
delivered services consistent with its mission statement: To provide 
low cost, quality, family-based health care and social services to 
people who may not otherwise have access to them.
  A $16 million per year operation, JHCHC has an annual economic impact 
of approximately $32 million on the community. It employs over 180 
health professionals throughout its three county service area, 
purchases goods and services from many local vendors and suppliers and 
serves as a training site for undergraduate and graduate students in 
various health care disciplines. Furthermore, JHCHC saves community 
resources by providing patients with more effective, cost-efficient 
care and reducing inappropriate use of local emergency rooms.
  As the largest provider of primary health care services to the poor, 
uninsured and underserved population in central Mississippi, the prime 
objective of JHCHC is to eliminate disparities in health care access 
for these groups, which often fall between the gaps of private 
insurance and personal income.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Jackson-
Hinds Comprehensive Health Center for their dedication to serving.

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