Bill Text: MI SR0079 | 2021-2022 | 101st Legislature | Enrolled


Bill Title: A resolution to recognize August 8-14, 2021, as National Health Center Week.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)

Status: (Passed) 2021-08-31 - Adopted [SR0079 Detail]

Download: Michigan-2021-SR0079-Enrolled.html
2021-SER-0079-rlp.indd


MICHIGAN SENATE


Senate Resolution No. 79


Offered by Senators Chang, Bayer, Santana and Geiss


A RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE AUGUST 8-14, 2021,

AS NATIONAL HEALTH CENTER WEEK


WHEREAS, For over 50 years, community health centers have provided high-quality, affordable, comprehensive, primary and preventive health care in our nation’s underserved communities, delivering value to, and having a significant impact on, America’s health care system; and

WHEREAS, As the country’s largest primary care network, community health centers are the health care home for 30 million Americans in over 14,000 communities across the nation. One in every twelve people in the United States gets their care in a community health center; and

WHEREAS, Community health centers are a critical element of the health system, serving both rural and urban communities, and often providing the only accessible and dependable source of primary care in their communities. Nationwide, community health centers serve one in every five residents of rural areas; and

WHEREAS, They are also beacons of essential resources and support in the testing and treatment during the coronavirus pandemic, and will continue to offer reliable, affordable, high-quality care for America’s most vulnerable and underserved communities; and

WHEREAS, Every day, community health centers develop new approaches to the integration of a wide range of services beyond primary care including oral health, vision, behavioral health, and pharmacy services in order to meet the needs and challenges of their communities; and

WHEREAS, Community health centers are governed by patient-majority boards, ensuring that the patients of each health center are engaged in their own health care decisions; and

WHEREAS, They are also locally owned and operated small businesses that serve as critical economic engines, helping to power local economies by generating $63.4 billion in economic activity in some of the country’s most economically-deprived communities; and

WHEREAS, Nationally, community health centers employ more than 253,000 people, including physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and certified nurse midwives who work as part of multi-disciplinary clinical teams designed to treat the whole patient; and

WHEREAS, The community health center model continues to prove as an effective means of overcoming barriers to healthcare access, including geography, income and insurance status, the improvement of health care outcomes, and a reduction in health care system costs; and

WHEREAS, Community health centers reduce overall costs of care by helping manage patients’ chronic conditions, keeping them out of costlier health care settings like hospital emergency rooms; and

WHEREAS, They are always on the front lines of emerging health care crises, providing access to care for our nation’s veterans, addressing the opioid epidemic, and responding to public health threats in the wake of natural disasters; and

WHEREAS, National Health Center Week offers the opportunity to celebrate over 1,400 health center organizations in the United States with over 12,000 service delivery sites, along with their dedicated staff, board members, patients, and those responsible for their continued success and growth; and

WHEREAS, During National Health Center Week, we honor the legacy of America’s community health centers and their vital role in shaping the past, present, and future of our health care system; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, That we recognize August 8-14, 2021, as National Health Center Week. We encourage all Americans to participate by visiting their local health center and celebrating the important partnership between America’s community health centers and the communities they serve.

Adopted by the Senate, August 31, 2021.



Secretary of the Senate

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