Community Health Centers - 50 Years of Success

Floor Speech

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Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to give thanks to all the community health centers in America and especially those in my district in California. These clinics are the workhorses of health care. Whether it be in the rural community of San Benito County, the downtown environs of Seaside on the Monterey Peninsula, the ag community of Watsonville or the streetscape of Santa Cruz, community health clinics provide expert health care to whomever needs it. These clinics increasingly are significant sources of regular, primary health services and not just drop-in-as-a-last-resort centers. In addition to providing on-the-spot health care they also run education programs on wellness, nutrition, diabetes and pre-natal care. All this is done at little or no charge to the patient with costs picked up by federal health programs, partnerships with other public and private entities and charitable donations.

The first community health centers were established in the U.S. in 1965 and May 15, 2015 marks 50 years since their introduction. Since then they've serviced over 62 million persons, including 13 million new patients since the advent of the Affordable Care Act. In a district like mine which includes an agriculture workforce that is often on the margins of health care the community health clinics are a godsend to keeping this workforce healthy and industrious.

Mr. Speaker, I want to say for all America to hear: I am very proud of the community health clinics in my district. I am sure my House colleagues have similar good stories to tell about the community health clinics in their districts, too. I hope they will join me in saying `thank you' and `good job' to these clinics and wish them well as they embark on the next 50 years of service.

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