SUPPORTING COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS

SUPPORTING COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS

Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 30 (Thursday, February 13, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 30 (Thursday, February 13, 2025)] [House] [Page H682] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SUPPORTING COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS (Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.) Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, for the uninsured, the working poor, Medicaid recipients, and rural communities, healthcare is hard to find. Yet, for 60 years, community health centers, or CHCs, have cared for people who would go otherwise unseen and untreated. In Pennsylvania, that is more than 1 million people, including 280,000 children, nearly 140,000 seniors, almost 15,000 veterans, and about 14,000 agricultural workers, receiving affordable and comprehensive care. In my district, the community health centers and dental centers serve four sites in Barto, Boyertown, Norristown, and Pottstown. Some of our most vulnerable, those with no health insurance, struggling with addiction or homelessness, have no hope. Importantly, CHC offers not just primary care but preventive care, a critical aspect of our healthcare system. Not only is it cost effective, it is compassionate in giving that hope. In Pennsylvania, thousands of doctors, nurses, behavioral specialists, and more show up every day for those most in need. They are not in it for the money. They are in it for the love of neighbor. ____________________