Washington, D.C. - Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, along with a bipartisan group of 70 senators, called for immediate action to extend critical funding for community health centers before funding runs out at the end of this month.

In a letter to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, the senators expressed their strong support for community health centers, which provide access to cost-effective primary and preventive care for families across the country.

"Without extension of the [Community Health Center Fund], community health centers will lose seventy percent of their funding," wrote the senators. "This will result in an estimated 2,800 site closures, the loss of 50,000 jobs, and result in 9 million Americans losing their access to care...We are already hearing of the disruptive effects of the uncertainty created by the impending funding cliff on health center operations-this disruption will increase significantly without an extension of funding by September 30."

Bennet has visited several community health centers in 2017, including Summit County Community Care Clinic, People's Clinic of Clinica Family Health, and Denver Health, among others.

Community health centers operate in both rural and urban areas across the country and are key providers of health care. Last year, health centers were the medical home for one in 12 Americans, one in 10 children, one in six Americans living in rural areas, and more than 330,000 of our nation's veterans. In Colorado, these health centers provide care to more than 700,000 of their community members from 61 of the state's 64 counties. Colorado's 20 community health centers have provided a coordinated health care home for many in the state and are on track to serve more than one million medically-underserved Coloradans within 20 years.

You can find the text of the letter below:

Dear Chairman Alexander and Ranking Member Murray,

We write today to share our strong support for community health centers and to urge swift resolution to the funding cliff community health centers face at the end of the month. Community health centers serve a critical role in communities throughout the United States and are important safety net providers. If Congress allows the Community Health Centers Fund (CHCF) to lapse, it would immediately threaten patient access to the cost-effective primary and preventive care health centers provide. We respectfully request you take immediate action to address CHCF funding.

Community health centers have long enjoyed strong bipartisan support. Since their initial creation over fifty years ago, community health centers have been a critical component of the nation's primary care network, today serving approximately 26 million patients at over 10,000 sites throughout the United States. Community health centers operate in both rural and urban areas, in every state in the nation, and are an important part of the health care ecosystem of their communities. Last year, health centers were the medical home for one in twelve Americans, one in ten children, one in six Americans living in rural areas, and more than 330,000 of our nation's veterans.

Congress' previous investments in the community health center program have yielded real results and vastly improved the health and well-being of countless communities throughout the United States. Without extension of the CHCF, community health centers will lose seventy percent of their funding. This will result in an estimated 2,800 site closures, the loss of 50,000 jobs, and result in 9 million Americans losing their access to care. Along with the health center impact, the National Health Service Corps and the Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education programs are at risk of expiry. As small businesses, health centers need predictability to secure financing for capital projects, to sign contracts, to recruit and retain providers and staff, and to sustain operations. We are already hearing of the disruptive effects of the uncertainty created by the impending funding cliff on health center operations-this disruption will increase significantly without an extension of funding by September 30.

We believe the strong bipartisan support the community health center program receives every year is a strong indicator of the importance of the program to the nation. We stand ready to work with you to ensure that the CHCF continues to be a vibrant program that has improved the health and well-being of many of our nation's most vulnerable individuals and communities.

Thank you for your consideration of our thoughts. We stand ready to work with you to fund the community health center program to ensure no losses in health care access for the millions of Americans served by community health centers.

Sincerely,

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