DETROIT, MI | by Dennis Litos | November 29, 2019
Original article can be found at: https://www.crainsdetroit.com/
Our nation runs on the power of small businesses.
They account for 65 percent of all new jobs and nearly 50 percent of all employees nationwide. And, importantly, they help foster economic growth at the local level, keeping money within communities.
On the upcoming Small Business Saturday this week, I hope you’ll join me in urging lawmakers to invest in the economic engines empowering more than 320 communities throughout the state: community health centers.
Here in Michigan, community health centers employ more than 6,000 people of all education and ability levels, generating more than $1.3 billion in economic activity.
As the CEO of the Michigan Primary Care Association, I have the privilege of serving as the voice of these community health centers, and I’m proud of the personalized approach we take to quality, affordable health care. Community health centers care for 709,000 Michiganders. More than 370,000 are covered by Medicaid, 92,000 are covered by Medicare and about 106,000 are uninsured. These include parents, grandparents, children, neighbors, veterans and the people who grow and harvest your food. Chances are good that if you’re not a health center patient, you know someone who is.
No matter who you are, where you came from, whether you’re insured or even whether you can pay, if you walk through the doors of a community health center, you’ll be receiving the best possible patient-centered care. The care team goes beyond primary and preventive medical services, offering dental care, behavioral health services and substance use disorder treatment. Health centers also provide a suite of enabling services such as translation, transportation and health education to ensure patients can navigate the complicated landscape of health care with ease.
But today, community health centers are facing an uncertain future.
Even though we have broad bipartisan support and comprise the largest primary care network in the country, solidifying the backbone of the health care safety net, Congress has yet to pass our long-term funding. That means that once the continuing resolution that just passed the U.S. House and Senate expires on Dec. 20, health centers will lose a whopping 70 percent of their federal funding. As a result, there would only be enough cash on hand for the Health Resources and Services Administration to fund health centers for about five months, leading to the shutdown of 2,400 sites nationwide. More than 9 million people could lose access to care.
No small business can operate successfully without stable funding, especially when lives are at stake. Federal funding helps us plan for the future, provide consistent services, and recruit the best and brightest health care providers to serve the most vulnerable. This Small Business Saturday, make an investment in your community: Call or email your members of Congress and remind them that community health centers are the local businesses that are keeping us healthy.
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