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However, community health center facilities are aging and already stretched to the limit. Many community clinics are currently operating at full capacity and no longer have physical space to grow, offer additional programs and services, or staff at home.
Community clinics need funding to expand and improve sites that are already at full capacity, and to build additional sites. Almost all community health centers (97 percent) have at least one investment project planned to build, expand or renovate their facilities to care for patients. They operate on very tight budgets. A quarter of health centers in California have less than 30 days of cash on hand.
Without direct federal investment in infrastructure, it will be difficult for community clinics to welcome new patients and add needed services, including oral health, mental health, substance use disorders. and comprehensive services such as transportation, food security and employment programs.
House Democrats are preparing a $ 3.5 trillion budget reconciliation plan that could be the biggest expansion of the social safety net in decades. Under the markup language of the Energy and Trade Committee, the bill would commit $ 10 billion to capital funding for community health centers. Congress should keep this in the final measure.
This investment would not only improve the health of patients served by community clinics, but also help the communities they serve to recover from the economic setbacks of the pandemic. Community health centers created 455,000 full-time jobs and generated over $ 63.4 billion in economic activity in 2019. From office to clinic, they provide good income and job growth opportunities for workers. , which in turn generate income for their local economies. Additionally, investments in community clinics expand access to care, creating healthier communities that can work and contribute to our economic recovery.
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