Advocacy Resources

We Need Your Help!

As the backbone of the health care safety net, health centers provide cost-effective primary and preventive care — including dental, behavioral health services, substance use disorder treatment, vision, and pharmacy — that helps people get and stay healthy. But what you might not know is that health centers don’t just keep people healthy: they also help create a healthy economy. Here in Michigan, health centers employ nearly 6,000 people and help create almost 40,000 jobs throughout the state. Health centers also generate more than $1.3 billion in total economic stimulus, making them economic powerhouses in underserved communities.

But health centers are struggling.

COVID-19 has resulted in millions of lost revenue and stretched health center resources to its limits, with more patients to serve.

In the aftermath of COVID-19’s negative effects on both the health care system and the economy, community health centers will be an even more critical resource to serve our neighbors and their families so that they can continue to access primary care, even if they lose their employer-sponsored insurance plan.

Additionally, health centers have been on the defensive as important programs like the 340B Drug Pricing Program that help fund a variety of essential services face strong threats.

Health Centers need to continue to advocate to:

  • Ensure the Health Center program is properly funded by Congress each year.
  • Protect the 340B Drug Pricing Program.
  • Increase funding for workforce programs to ensure that trained medical staff are available.
  • Ensure that expansions of telehealth services in Michigan during the COVID-19 epidemic are made permanent.
  • Adopt an Alternative Payment Methodology to ensure that payment is based on quality, instead of quantity, of services.

Please take a look at the following resources to learn about being an effective advocate:

Contact your elected officials and let them know about the essential role that health centers play in your community. Please click on the link, Find Your Elected Officials.