Bill Text: GA HR1280 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Community Health Centers Day; Feb. 9, 2012; commend & invite leadership to House
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2012-02-09 - House Passed/Adopted [HR1280 Detail]
Download: Georgia-2011-HR1280-Introduced.html
12 LC
93 0458
House
Resolution 1280
By:
Representative Parrish of the
156th
A
RESOLUTION
Recognizing
February 9, 2012, as "Community Health Centers Day" and inviting the leadership
of the Georgia Association for Primary Health Care to be recognized by the House
of Representatives; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS,
federally qualified community health centers located in over 137 medically
underserved communities provide high quality primary and preventive health care
to 400,000 people in the State of Georgia, including over 140,000 Medicaid
recipients and 200,000 uninsured, the working poor, a large number of
underinsured, elderly, homeless, immigrants, and other vulnerable populations,
without regard to income status, cultural or ethnic heritage, or disease
conditions; and
WHEREAS,
community health centers add $250 million per year to Georgia's economy through
indirect and induced economic activity, including $118 million in household
income and 2,025 Georgia jobs, that saves the Georgia Medicaid program up to 33
percent in annual spending per Medicaid beneficiary; and
WHEREAS,
community health centers recruit and retain excellent health care professionals
where they are most needed and offer access to a wide range of cost-effective
medical and dental services, prescription medicines, health education, nutrition
counseling, translation services, community outreach transportation, and other
support programs; and
WHEREAS,
community health centers have a track record spanning four decades of
controlling costs, documented in several studies which show that rates of costly
emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and specialty care referrals are much
lower among health center patients than patients of other providers;
and
WHEREAS,
community health centers work in partnership with other health care providers,
local hospitals, health departments, social service agencies, and health related
support services to maximize resources and assure that services are coordinated
to improve the health status of the community; and
WHEREAS,
community health centers have been innovators in the establishment of patient
centered medical homes, providing access to quality care and continuity of care
for the patients they serve; and
WHEREAS,
Georgia's community health centers and their state organization, the Georgia
Association for Primary Health Care, have worked diligently to increase the
number of community health centers in Georgia and across the nation and have
taken a leadership role in establishing more centers in underserved communities
to help resolve this state's health care access problems, demonstrating
commendable efforts in continuous quality improvement, reduction of health
disparities among the underserved, the implementation of new health care
initiatives such as electronic health records, and utilization of the latest
technology to improve both operations and delivery of services to more
Georgians; and
WHEREAS,
community health centers deserve commendation for their valuable contributions
in expanding access to health care, their outstanding record of service, and
their dedication to improving health care and the health status of all
Georgians.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of
this body recognize February 9, 2012, as "Community Health Centers Day" and
invite the leadership of the Georgia Association of Primary Health Care to be
recognized by the House of Representatives at a date and time to be determined
by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized
and directed to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to the Georgia
Association for Primary Health Care.
