A delegation of health advocates from across the nation are pushing Congress for reliable, stable, long-term funding for health centers and other important health and workforce programs. That includes funding for center’s like Konza Prairie Community Health Center, with locations in both Junction City and Manhattan.
Staff and patients from health centers recently traveled to Washington D.C. to remind lawmakers that local community health centers need long-term and stable support now more than ever.
The nationwide network of locally-run health centers serve 28 million people in 11,000 communities and provide affordable primary health care all over the United States. They are also responding to public health challenges, such as the opioid use epidemic, caring for veterans and responding to community needs after natural disasters.
“Health centers like Konza are at the core of a larger solution to healthcare challenges facing communities throughout the nation,” said Lee Wolf, CEO, Konza. “Long-term and robust funding for health centers is an investment in community health and the local economy.”
Health centers have compiled a record of success in cost-savings and illness prevention.
- They save the health care system $24 billion annually.
2. They serve patients who are medically underserved and live in isolated and frontier communities where there are few if any providers.
3. They are fighting the opioid use epidemic. Health centers provide medication assisted treatments to 65,000 patients in 2017 and are on course to triple urgently needed behavioral and mental health services.
4. They are good for the economy, generating $54.6 billion in economic activity in low-income and underserved communities and employing over 220,000 people.
Konza officials noted that unless Congress acts now, a large portion of health center funding expires in September. Several bipartisan bills have been introduced in the House and Senate that provide long-term and stable funding for health centers as well as for critical workforce building programs. Konza is a not-for-profit community health center dedicated to providing affordable, quality, comprehensive healthcare for all.