Congresswoman Niki Tsongas on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday, urging reauthorization of money for area community health centers.
Greater Lawrence Family Health Center President and CEO John M. Silva. (WHAV News photograph.)
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If Congress and the president don’t act in the next two weeks, Greater Lawrence Family Health Center will lose close to $3 million, potentially impacting patients who rely on the center for primary care.
Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, which operates six centers in Lawrence and Methuen and had planned a site in Haverhill, has sent out appeals for concerned citizens to contact members of Congress. Congresswoman Niki Tsongas also took the floor of the House yesterday, urging reauthorization of money for area community health centers.
“In my district, I have seen the important work that goes on at community health centers in Massachusetts—in Lowell, Lawrence, Gardner and Fitchburg. In 2016, these facilities and their staffs cared for more than 100,000 people,” she said.
GLFHC President and CEO John M. Silva said, “This is a call to action and cannot be ignored!”
“The Community Health Center Funding Cliff crisis essentially means that if federal funding is not reauthorized by Congress, by Sept. 30, community health centers across the country would lose 70 percent of their federal funding,” he said. “Nationally, that means $80 million in support and close to eight million patients would lose health care coverage, and quite honestly could mean jobs as well,” Silva added.
Tsongas told her colleagues, “Unfortunately community health centers are facing a funding cliff if the community health center program is not reauthorized by the end of this (fiscal) year, a lack of funding means too many of my constituents would immediately lose access to care, putting the health of our communities at risk.”
The National Association of Community Health Centers said loss of the bipartisan Health Centers Fund, created in 2010, could cause an estimated nine million patients to losing care, 50,000 jobs lost and 2,800 health center sites to close their doors.
Those with questions may email Rich Napolitano, GLFHC’s senior vice president external relations and. chief development officer, at [email protected]. Others may email Congress by using this form.
Hi Rich, could you release and email all of your “non-profit” financials from the past 5 years to either WHAV or The Valley Patriot?
GLFHC President and CEO John M. Silva said, “This is a call to action and cannot be ignored!” –
Not exactly pay-to-play players, but certainly only in the last two years, with a few Directors shelling out a couple hundred to PAC’s and pols. Also, have no fear, MA Health Safety Net, the very same that pays for illegal invaders will make up the shortfalls.
Maybe if Niki, when Democrats could have done something good, instead of something destructive with ACA, all things health care wouldn’t be so expensive. Instead, MA has some of the highest costs in the nation for all-things health care, with a state budget spending 40% on medicaid costs alone. Medicare, thanks to Niki and friends, put tens-of-millions on the rolls just to call them “covered”, now costing over $1.4 trillion (see Treasury Statement) and growing at 9.3% YoY. Brilliant. Of course legislated monopolies are great fro a crony capitalistic economy, with the lobbying and campaign donations to match.