[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 11 (Thursday, January 18, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H482]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              EXTEND FUNDING FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINICS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Panetta) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PANETTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call upon my colleagues to 
set up and extend funding for community health clinics.
  Community health centers are a vital resource for millions of 
Americans, providing more coverage at a lower cost. These healthcare 
providers serve our underserved communities. In rural districts like 
mine on the central coast of California, they are sometimes the only 
healthcare provider close enough for patients to receive immediate or 
long-term care. They provide prenatal care, annual checkups, and 
lifesaving screenings.
  In my district, there are nine federally funded health centers 
serving approximately 190,000 patients from Santa Cruz to Seaside and 
from the Salinas Valley to San Benito County. They have dedicated staff 
that serve the unique and multilingual and multicultural needs of the 
patients in my district. Without proper funding, these vital community 
health centers may be forced to reduce their hours of operation, lay 
off staff, or even close their doors.
  We must support our community health centers not just on the central 
coast of California, but across this Nation. These clinics, their 
patients, and the people we serve deserve our support. I ask Congress 
to support our community health clinics.

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