WASHINGTON, D.C. — With less than three weeks to go for Congress to approve funding for health care programs, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand launched a new push to extend, raise and reauthorize funding for Community Health Centers across New York and the country.

Community Health Centers provide care to millions of New Yorkers and provide services to patients regardless of income and insurance coverage. Unless Congress approves funding for Community Health Centers by Dec. 20, the centers could lose more than 70% of their federal grant funding, causing health centers to cut or scale back the services they provide.

There are Community Health Centers in Jamestown and Dunkirk.

“Community Health Centers are the embodiment of healthcare as a human right. They provide a wide-range of services to some of our most vulnerable populations and help ensure our communities have access to quality health care,” Gillibrand said. “However, federal funding for these vital health care resources is at risk of being slashed. That’s why I am urging Leader McConnell and my colleagues to extend, raise, and reauthorize the Community Health Center Fund, which would secure funding for these centers for the next five years and increase the amount of funding they receive. I will continue to fight for the resources our health centers need to keep providing this vital care.

Along with primary health care, Community Health Centers offer other vital services to patients such as oral health care, mental health services, substance abuse treatment, case management, transportation assistance, housing support, and translation assistance.

There are 65 federally funded community health center organizations that provide high-quality health care services to 761 health sites across New York State that serve over 2 million patients. In New York, 68 percent of patients served are low-income, 53 percent are covered by Medicaid, and 16 percent are uninsured.