Part of what makes Community Health Centers (CHCs) great places to work is the dedication to the mission and commitment to our patients through advocacy. CHC staff in Colorado are calling and emailing their members of Congress. You can help too! Email and call your members of Congress and get the word out: support CHCs by fixing the funding cliff (this also applies to the National Health Service Corps.) The funding cliff, if not fixed, will dissolve essential loan repayment programs. WE NEED YOUR HELP! Below you will find more information and links to get involved.
Access is the Answer!
The National Association of Health Centers (NACHCs) and Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN) are asking Health Center Advocates to take action by sending email messages to EVERY member of Congress! All of CCHN’s registered advocates received a call to action to email their Members of Congress asking them to FIX THE HEALTH CENTER FUNDING CLIFF during the lame duck session of Congress before the end of the year. In order for Congress to make fixing the Cliff THIS YEAR a priority we MUST send thousands of emails to EVERY MEMBER OF CONGRESS – otherwise we take the risk of being overlooked or ignored!
You can help make this effort a success by signing up as an advocate and taking action. Encourage your family and friends to join in, too. Click here to register as a health center advocate.
What is the “Cliff?” Under current law, the Health Center Trust Fund, funded under the Affordable Care Act and hugely important in the expansion of access to care at CHCs over the past few years, expires on September 30, 2015. This will result in up to a 70 percent drop in federal funding for CHCs – on average, federal grants make up about 20 percent of a CHC’s total revenue and make it possible for CHCs to offer comprehensive primary care to the uninsured and underinsured. In addition, the National Health Service Corps and a program to support teaching Health Centers need Congress to act to avert the 100 percent funding cuts they face in the next fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2015.
That’s why we need your help with Access is the Answer. Help us continue to care for the 650,000 people in Colorado whose health care home is a CHC and the 23 million people cared for at CHCs across America. Register as a Health Center Advocate today!
