The Institute joins health center advocates at CHCANYS Advocacy Day in Albany
March 25, 2026
On Wednesday, March 4, Institute staff joined health center advocates, providers, board members and patients across New York State to take part in Community Health Center Advocacy Day. This annual event, organized by the Community Health Care Association of New York State (CHCANYS), allows health center advocates to meet with elected officials and their staff about health care policies and issues affecting our patients and communities.
During the meetings with elected officials, advocates discussed budget priorities that are necessary to help community health centers fulfill our mission of providing affordable, accessible and high-quality care to our communities. An important topic was protecting the 340B Pharmacy Program, which allows patients to access prescription medication at significantly reduced costs. Telehealth was another key issue, including the need for pay parity. Finally, advocates also highlighted workforce initiatives such as Teaching Health Centers that grow and develop the health care workforce across New York State.
Over 50 Institute employees attended Advocacy Day and met with a total of 15 legislators’ offices. Our staff took the opportunity to speak from first-hand experience caring for patients and seeing the impact of the structural inequities in our health care system. We would like to especially thank the following elected officials and their staff for meeting with us:
New York State Assemblymembers:
- Didi Barrett (District 106)
- Michael Benedetto (District 82)
- Landon Dais (District 77)
- Micah Lasher (District 69)
- Grace Lee (District 65)
- Brian Maher (District 101)
- Sarahana Shrestha (District 103)
- Jo Anne Simon (District 52)
- Jordan Wright (District 70)
New York State Senators:
- Cordell Cleare (District 30)
- Nathalia Fernandez (District 34)
- Michelle Hinchey (District 41)
- Brian Kavanaugh (District 27)
- Peter Oberacker (District 51)
- José M. Serrano (District 29)
In addition to our scheduled meetings, Institute advocates stopped by other elected officials’ offices to say hello and provide information. We are grateful to our representatives for their continued support of community health centers and for taking the time to meet with us.
Recent Topics