According to the Washington Association of Community Health, community & migrant health centers in Washington serve more than 1.1 million residents at over 300 clinic sites, offering primary, preventive & supportive health services.

Don't Let Funding for CHCs Expire. We strongly urge our friends in Congress to support a long-term re-authorization of the Community Health Centers (CHCs) Fund before the funding authorization expires on September 30.

CHCs Are Critical for Universal Health Care. The CHCs are the largest and most successful primary care system in the US. located in all 50 states and territories. They must be a key part of any universal health care system.

Washingtonians Count on CHCs. In Washington State, Community Health Centers serve over 1.1 million patients annually. CHCs are community-based, nonprofit health care providers that serve individuals and families in medically underserved areas or medically underserved populations. They welcome everyone who walks through the door, regardless of ability to pay, and are governed by patient-majority boards. Additionally, they provide a host of services beyond what you'd expect to find in a traditional doctor's office, including language and transportation assistance, referrals to food and housing assistance programs, and family case management.

CHCs Rely on Federal Funding. For over 50 years, America has relied on CHCs to provide comprehensive primary care, dental, and behavioral health services to underserved communities. CHCs have relied on federal grants to do this critical work. Over 70 percent of the funding for these grants program comes from the $4 billion Community Health Center Fund, allowing CHCs to:

• Provide care for the uninsured;
• Establish new clinics in hard-to-reach communities;
• Expand the scope of their services, including responding to national and regional health crises like the opioid use disorder epidemic or local measles outbreaks; and
• Invest in services like transportation and care coordination to make a more meaningful impact in the lives of the individuals and families they serve.

Preserve this Vital Safety-Net. Long-term funding will allow CHCs to more thoroughly plan for the future, expand services for patients, and reduce the uncertainty caused by year-to-year funding renewals. Now is not the time to reduce the safety net for Americans who are struggling to survive our health care crisis.

What You Can Do Now

Please take a few minutes to do any or all of the following quick actions today. We want to keep the pressure on your Members of Congress!

Thank them for their efforts to date. Ask them to take action as soon as possible to extend health center mandatory funding before the September 30th deadline -- as much funding as possible (room for growth) for as long as possible (stability).

1. Email Your MOCs

2. Tweet Your Senator

3. Tweet Your Representative

Thanks to Healthcare is a Human Right - WA and the National Association of Community Health Centers for this Action Alert.