Duckworth Calls on Congress to Fully Fund Community Health Centers

[CHICAGO, IL] – During a visit to the Near North Health Winfield Moody Health Center, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) called on Congress to do its job and fully reauthorize funding for community health centers today. By leaving Washington last month without providing full funding for these facilities, Congressional Republicans left Illinois’s 402 community health centers facing a funding cliff that puts services and employees at risk. Nearly 1.3 million Illinoisans rely on community health centers for critical medical care such as infant immunizations, diabetes management and opioid treatment throughout the state. A photo of the press conference is available here.

“Short-term fixes don’t address our community’s health needs,” Duckworth said. “They only contribute to the ongoing uncertainty of what comes next without adequate funding. Enough is enough. It’s imperative that Congress does its job of serving the American people by reauthorizing funding for these critical health care providers. These hardworking Illinoisans and the patients who rely on the care they provide shouldn't have to wait any longer.”

The Community Health Center Fund, which was $3.6 billion in fiscal year 2017, has not yet been fully renewed by Congress. To compensate, many community health centers will have to slash services and layoff some of the 8,000 hardworking Illinoisans who are employed at these facilities.

Community health centers and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are among several healthcare priorities that Duckworth is urging Congress to address in the coming weeks to ensure Illinoisans have vital access to healthcare.

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