Bill Text: GA HR154 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Community Health Centers Day; Feb. 10, 2011; commend & invite to House
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 6)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2011-02-09 - House Passed/Adopted [HR154 Detail]
Download: Georgia-2011-HR154-Introduced.html
11 LC
94 3942
House
Resolution 154
By:
Representatives Parrish of the
156th,
Channell of the
116th,
England of the
108th,
Burns of the
157th,
Houston of the
170th,
and others
A
RESOLUTION
Recognizing
February 10, 2011, 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 350,000 people in the State of Georgia, including over 90,000 Medicaid
recipients and 150,000 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 $238 million per year to Georgia's economy through
indirect and induced economic activity, including $113 million in household
income and 1,950 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,
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 10, 2011, 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.
