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HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, For over 50 years, community health centers have
3provided high-quality, affordable, comprehensive primary and
4preventive health care in our nation's underserved
5communities, delivering value to and having a significant
6impact on America's health care system; and
 
7    WHEREAS, As the country's largest primary care network,
8community health centers are the health care home for 30
9million Americans in over 14,000 communities across the
10nation; one in every 12 people in the United States gets their
11care in a community health center; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Over 40 organizations in Illinois operate
13community health centers at over 400 sites in communities
14across the State, providing services for nearly 5,000,000
15patient visits annually; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Community health centers are a critical element
17of the health system, serving both rural and urban communities
18and often providing the only accessible and dependable source
19of primary care in their communities; nationwide, community
20health centers serve one in every five residents of rural
21areas; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, In Illinois, over one quarter of organizations
2operating as community health centers serve rural patients;
3and
 
4    WHEREAS, Community health centers serve as beacons of
5essential resources and support in testing and treatment in
6the face of the global coronavirus pandemic and will continue
7to offer reliable, affordable, high-quality care against
8COVID-19 for America's most vulnerable and underserved
9communities; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Every day, community health centers develop new
11approaches to integrating a wide range of services beyond
12primary care, including oral health, vision, behavioral
13health, and pharmacy services, to meet the needs and
14challenges of their communities; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Community health centers are governed by
16patient-majority boards, ensuring that the patients of each
17health center are engaged in their own health care decisions;
18and
 
19    WHEREAS, Community health centers are locally owned and
20operated small businesses that serve as critical economic
21engines, helping to power local economies by generating $54.6
22billion in economic activity in some of the country's most

 

 

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1economically-deprived communities; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Every dollar in investment in community health
3centers in Illinois generates $5.21 in economic activity, and
4community health centers in Illinois generate over $2.4
5billion in total economic activity; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Nationally, community health centers employ more
7than 236,000 people, including physicians, nurse
8practitioners, physician assistants, and certified nurse
9midwives who work as part of multi-disciplinary clinical teams
10designed to treat the whole patient; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Community health centers in Illinois employ
12nearly 10,000 health care professionals, including physicians,
13physician assistants, nurse practitioners, dentists, dental
14hygienists, behavioral health specialists, pharmacists, and
15eye care specialists; and
 
16    WHEREAS, The community health center model continues to
17prove an effective means of overcoming barriers to healthcare
18access, including geography, income, and insurance status,
19improving health care outcomes and reducing health care system
20costs; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Community health centers reduce overall costs of

 

 

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1care by helping manage patients' chronic conditions, which
2keeps them out of costlier health care settings like hospital
3emergency rooms; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Community health centers are on the front lines
5of emerging health care crises, providing access to care for
6our nation's veterans, addressing the opioid epidemic, and
7responding to public health threats in the wake of natural
8disasters; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Community Health Center Week offers the
10opportunity to celebrate America's over 1,400 health center
11organizations with over 12,000 service delivery sites,
12Illinois's over 40 health center organizations with over 400
13service delivery sites, their dedicated staff, board members,
14patients, and all those responsible for their continued
15success and growth since the first health centers opened their
16doors more than 50 years ago; and
 
17    WHEREAS, During Community Health Center Week, we celebrate
18the legacy of America's community health centers and their
19vital role in shaping the past, present, and future of
20America's health care system; therefore, be it
 
21    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
22HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that

 

 

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1we declare August 9-15, 2021 as Community Health Center Week
2in the State of Illinois; and be it further
 
3    RESOLVED, That we encourage all Americans to take part in
4this week by visiting their local health center and
5celebrating the important partnership between America's
6community health centers and the communities they serve; and
7be it further
 
8    RESOLVED, That we will work to ensure that every
9underserved and under-resourced community shall have
10sustainable access to a community health center and a
11community hospital to address their health needs in an effort
12to improve health outcomes; and be it further
 
13    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
14presented to the Illinois Primary Health Care Association and
15the National Association of Community Health Centers.