[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 168 (Monday, November 16, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1625]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS IN AMERICA

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                         HON. STEPHEN F. LYNCH

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 16, 2015

  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an outstanding 
landmark to community health and welfare. This year marks the 50th 
anniversary of the nation's Community Health Center program. Community 
Health Centers (CRC) are the family doctor to over 23 million Americans 
and, as such, are the largest network of primary care providers in the 
country. The CHC model is distinguished by its comprehensive range of 
health services, recognizing the particular needs and characteristics 
of the communities they serve. Community Health Centers are located in 
medically underserved areas, providing needed care for communities and 
populations that do not have adequate access to care. Community 
involvement in CHCs is guaranteed by the requirement that Federal 
Qualified Health Centers must have governing boards of directors that 
have patients of the center holding at least 51% of the board seats.
  In Massachusetts we are particularly proud because the nation's first 
community health center opened in December 1965 on Columbia Point in 
Boston's Dorchester neighborhood. Drs. Jack Geiger and Count Gibson of 
Tufts Medical School founded the Columbia Point Health Center in order 
to meet the needs of the residents of an isolated public housing 
project, cut off from the City's health resources. Drs. Geiger and 
Gibson opened a rural center shortly thereafter in the Delta region of 
Mississippi. From that start, the community health center program 
expanded throughout the country. In 1966, the esteemed late Senator 
Edward M. Kennedy visited the Columbia Point Health Center and 
immediately understood its mission and its value. He became the 
greatest champion health centers have ever known. Over the next 50 
years, with his leadership and support, the Community Health Center 
program expanded tremendously.
  Mr. Speaker, there are now over 1,270 community health centers 
providing services at 9,000 sites across the country. CHCs have become 
the primary source of medical, dental, behavioral health, substance 
abuse treatment, social services and other community health services 
for neighborhoods and rural communities that would otherwise be 
inadequately served. CHCs have also provided employment and career 
opportunities for thousands of local residents.
  Mr. Speaker, fifty years ago it all began here, in Massachusetts. I 
am proud to rise today to recognize and honor what has become a 
national model for providing services to our country's underserved 
areas and urge my colleagues to join me in acknowledging the efforts of 
our Community Health Centers.

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