[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 63 (Friday, April 12, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H2360]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1315
               COMMUNITY AND SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH CENTERS

  (Ms. SALINAS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. SALINAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the important 
role that community and school-based health centers play when it comes 
to Americans' mental well-being. These centers provide a wide range of 
mental and physical health services, regardless of a patient's ability 
to pay.
  I recently visited several community health centers in my district 
along with SAMHSA Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Tom Coderre. 
During our visit, we met with staff, providers, and local stakeholders 
to learn more about how Congress can better support these facilities.
  What I gained from those conversations is that we simply do not have 
enough mental health providers to meet community needs, especially in 
rural areas.
  Addressing the mental health workforce shortage has to be a top 
priority. For my part, I have introduced legislation that will help 
create a strong workforce pipeline and relieve the pressures on 
individual providers. I will continue to push for more funding for 
community health centers and other organizations that are truly helping 
to fill the gaps in mental healthcare because mental health is just as 
important as our physical health, but we can't expand access to care 
without also increasing support for providers who are on the ground 
working to put an end to the mental health crisis in America.

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