NEW BRUNSWICK – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), Senior Democrat on the Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee, visited the Jewish Renaissance Medical Center (JRMC) Thursday, April 4 to tout the preventive care benefits and other important services that Community Health Centers provide for many residents in need of a wide array of health care resources. Pallone, an outspoken advocate for Community Health Centers, led the charge in the House for a $300 million funding increase that passed Congress in March.
“Community Health Centers like JRMC attend to the unique health needs of hard-to-reach populations and have a significant impact in improving health in our communities. They are absolutely essential tools in expanding coverage to 30 million more Americans as part of the Affordable Care Act,” said Congressman Pallone. “Given the current budget constraints of the government, making sure community health centers have the funds they need to serve to community is cost effective and makes sense.”
Last year, Congressman Pallone led a bipartisan letter of support with 165 co-signers for funding to Community Health Centers to the House Appropriations Committee. He is leading a similar letter of support again this year.
Specializing in providing cost-effective and high-quality primary and preventive health care, Community Health Centers generate $24 billion annually in savings to the health care system, due largely to their success in reducing the need for patients to seek care in costlier health care settings (like emergency departments and hospitals). These centers deliver care at a total cost of just $1.67 per patient per day and serve as drivers of economic activity in the communities where they are located.
Community Health Centers are locally-controlled, non-profit entities that provide primary care, oral, behavioral, and pharmacy services in our most underserved rural and urban areas. New Jersey is home to 20 federally supported health centers serving 454,243 patients and 23% of the low income uninsured population in New Jersey.
Nationwide, there are over 1,200 Health Centers operating in 9,000 local communities, serving more than 22 million people who would otherwise not have access to primary care in their communities. Health Centers serve as the “health care home” for America’s most vulnerable populations, including one in seven of America’s uninsured, one-third of individuals living below poverty, and one in seven Medicaid beneficiaries.
Press Release April 4, 2013
