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N.Y.C. Council speaker calls on Mayor Eric Adams to resign; KY could do more to protect kids from accidental drug ingestion, shootings; OH food banks face fed funding uncertainty, DeWine budget cuts; Protesters say Trump administration actions 'cast aside democracy.'

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On a Middle East visit, Sen. Richard Blumenthal rejects a Gaza takeover. President's Day protests erupt around the country against White House moves, and another aviation accident draws attention to recent FAA cuts.

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Rural America struggles with opioids and homelessness in unexpected ways, Colorado's Lariat Ditch could help spur local recreation, and book deliveries revive rural communities hit by Hurricane Helene.

SD rep joins 300 in D.C. calling for more rural health center funding

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Tuesday, December 3, 2024   

Nearly 300 Community Health Center leaders from across the U.S. and South Dakota are on Capitol Hill today, urging Congress to act before their federal funding expires at year's end.

The federal Community Health Center Fund helps pay for the nation's largest primary care network, which served more than 31 million people last year. Nine of 10 patients had incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level.

Joe Dunn, chief policy officer for the National Association of Community Health Centers, said the network serves one in 10 Americans, one in five living in rural areas.

"We've been fortunate that we have incredible bipartisan support in Congress," Dunn acknowledged. "But as of right now the funding is expiring and we need Congress to act to extend that and hopefully increase it moving forward."

According to the Congressional Budget Office, Dunn pointed out, primary care services offered at health centers reduce Medicaid and Medicare costs because preventive care helps avoid higher-cost scenarios like hospitalizations and emergency room visits.

In South Dakota, Horizon Health offers medical, dental, behavioral health and telemedicine services to 27,000 patients in rural areas across more than one-third of the state.

Wade Erickson, CEO of Horizon, said federal funds provide for up to 35% of the operation's budget, which is more than some other centers.

"We have less visits, less populations in our communities," Erickson noted. "You don't have the amount of patient revenue that can offset that. So we do rely on the federal dollar a lot more than maybe our counterparts do in other areas of the country."

Advocates are asking Congress to authorize $5.8 billion annually through the Community Health Center Fund for the next three years.

Disclosure: The National Association of Community Health Centers contributes to our fund for reporting on Budget Policy and Priorities, and Health Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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