The Institute Meets with Elected Officials to #ValueCHCs
November 26, 2019
We were delighted to spend time with several of our elected officials—all stalwart community health center supporters—these last few weeks!
On November 6, New York State Senator Jen Metzger visited our New Paltz Family Health Center to discuss community health needs and budgetary priorities to expand access to high-quality and affordable health care. “As a member of the New York State Senate health committee, I know how complex state funding for healthcare can be,” said Senator Metzger. “I’m committed to ensuring that our state health investments benefit all District 42 residents, especially those who have difficulty accessing care–like the many people you serve here at the Institute.”
The following week, on November 11, U.S. Representative Antonio Delgado met with staff at our Kingston Family Health Center. They discussed community health center funding, the Teaching Health Center residency program, and dental care services. “Access to quality, affordable health care is one of the most critical issues facing families across upstate,” said Representative Delgado. “I’m thankful to the leadership and medical staff at the Kingston Family Health Center for their work to provide primary care, behavioral health, and dental care to families in our region. My visit underscored the urgent need for more primary care physicians in rural communities, the impact of skyrocketing prescription drug costs, and the critical work our health centers do every day to address the opioid epidemic in our region. I’ll keep working to ensure community health centers receive the critical federal funding they need so that all upstate families have access to affordable care.”
On November 14, U.S. Representative Jerry Nadler‘s staff met with Institute staff and members of the Community Health Care Association of New York State (CHCANYS) at his office. They discussed the upcoming budget to authorize funding for community health centers and the Institute’s ongoing efforts to train the next generation of safety net health providers through our Teaching Health Centers residency programs.
And finally, on November 25th, the Institute’s Bronx Health REACH team met with NYC Mayor Bill deBlasio to discuss #Not62–The Campaign for a Healthy Bronx. The campaign is a collaborative response to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s County Health Ranking Report finding that ranks the Bronx as the worst of all 62 New York counties for health outcomes. In the meeting, REACH project director Charmaine Ruddock presented recommendations for how the Mayor’s office can work to improve the social, economic and environmental conditions that relate to health outcomes in the Bronx. The #Not62 campaign continues next month with a rally on December 3 at City Hall.
We are very grateful to our elected officials for making the time to meet with us and for their efforts to improve our communities’ health!
