Congresswoman Heather Wilson, First Congressional District of New Mexico
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| Community Health Center Legislation Passes House |
June 05, 2008 |
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Bill will help health centers in New Mexico that provide care to underserved residents
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Heather Wilson (R-NM) today welcomed House passage of H.R. 1343, the Health Centers Renewal Act by an overwhelming majority. Wilson is a cosponsor of the legislation, and it now awaits consideration by the Senate.
Community Health Centers currently provide services to more than 16 million Americans in 6,000 communities nationwide. In New Mexico, there are 14 Community Health Centers at 105 different sites throughout the state, serving more than 200,000 New Mexicans each year.
The Health Centers Renewal Act improves the Community Health Center program by creating a path to serve nearly 30 million medically disenfranchised Americans by 2015, including those who are uninsured, underinsured, or underserved by traditional health care facilities.
This bill continues to support the existing health center infrastructure by addressing higher cost for their patients and allowing them to extend mental and dental health and pharmacy services to more patients, and provides clinicians volunteering their time at health centers with federal medical liability insurance.
“Community Health Centers provide primary and preventative health care to uninsured and Medicaid patients, providing a medical home to people who otherwise might not have access to these services and wind up in emergency departments.” Wilson said. “These health centers are vital in New Mexico and they deserve our support.”
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