[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 134 (Tuesday, August 14, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1150-E1151]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING NATIONAL HEALTH CENTER WEEK TO CELEBRATE THE LEGACY OF 
AMERICA'S HEALTH CENTERS AND RECOGNIZE THEIR VITAL ROLE IN SHAPING THE 
       PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF AMERICA'S HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. NANETTE DIAZ BARRAGAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 14, 2018

  Ms. BARRAGAN. Mr. Speaker, Whereas for over 50 years, community 
health centers have provided high-quality, affordable, comprehensive 
primary and preventive health care in our Nation's underserved 
communities, delivering value to, and having a significant impact on, 
America's health care system;
  Whereas as the country's largest primary care network, health centers 
are the health care home for 27,000,000 Americans in over 10,000 
communities across the Nation, and 1 in every 12 people in the United 
States gets his or her care in a health center;
  Whereas health centers are a critical element of the health system, 
serving both rural and urban populations, and often providing the only 
accessible and dependable source of primary care in their communities;
  Whereas nationwide, health centers serve 1 in every 6 residents of 
rural areas; Whereas every day, health centers develop new approaches 
to integrating a wide range of services beyond primary care, including 
oral health, vision, behavioral health, and pharmacy services, to meet 
the needs and challenges of their communities;
  Whereas health centers are governed by patient-majority boards, 
ensuring that the patients of each health center are engaged in their 
own health care decisions;
  Whereas health centers are locally owned and operated small 
businesses that serve as critical economic engines, helping to power 
local economies by generating $45,600,000,000 in economic impact in 
some of the country's most economically deprived communities;
  Whereas health centers nationally employ more than 200,000 people, 
including physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and 
certified nurse midwives who work as part of multidisciplinary clinical 
teams designed to treat the whole patient;
  Whereas the health center model continues to prove an effective means 
of overcoming barriers to health care access, including geography, 
income, and insurance status, and in doing so, improves health care 
outcomes and reduces health care system costs;
  Whereas health centers reduce overall costs of care by helping manage 
patients' chronic conditions, which keeps them out of costlier health 
care settings like hospital emergency rooms;
  Whereas health centers are on the frontlines of emerging health care 
crises, providing access to care for our Nation's veterans, addressing 
the opioid epidemic, and responding to public health threats in the 
wake of natural disasters;
  Whereas National Health Center Week is an annual celebration that 
will be held from August 12, 2018, through August 18, 2018;
  Whereas National Health Center Week offers the opportunity to 
recognize America's nearly 1,400 health center organizations with over 
10,400 service delivery sites, their dedicated staff, board members, 
patients, and all those responsible for their continued success and 
growth since the first health centers opened their doors more than 50 
years ago; and
  Whereas during National Health Center Week, we celebrate the legacy 
of America's health centers, and their vital role in shaping the past, 
present, and future of America's health care system.
  Now Therefore that the House of Representatives recognizes the week 
of August l2-l8th as National Health Center Week; and
  Encourages all Americans to take part in this week by visiting their 
local health center and celebrating the important partnership between 
America's health centers and the communities they serve.

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