[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 19 (Monday, January 29, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H656]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1930
                    COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER FUNDING

  (Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to call out our Republican colleagues 
for still having left community health centers falling off a funding 
cliff for this year.
  Long-term funding for community health centers expired last September 
30. These health centers serve more than 25 million patients in all 
States in this Union and U.S. territories and employ over 50,000 
professionals in the health field nationwide.
  In Ohio, more than 85 percent of health center patients fall below 
200 percent of the poverty line--the poorest of the poor. In 2015, Ohio 
health centers served over 600,000 patients--over half a million.
  Don't our Republican colleagues understand an ounce of prevention is 
worth a pound of cure?
  Community health centers remain the Nation's largest source of 
primary, comprehensive care for medically underserved populations. They 
are fundamental to life in our communities and neighborhoods, whether 
they be urban, rural, or small town.
  In 2015, America celebrated 50 years of the success of community 
health centers. This Congress and its Republican majority should not 
continue to let our constituents down who rely so heavily upon these 
health centers in life-and-death situations.

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