BLUMENTHAL URGES IMMEDIATE ACTION TO RESTORE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, CHIP FUNDING

Contact: Maria McElwain (DC) (202) 224-6452

Elizabeth Benton (CT) (860) 729-3589

September 29, 2017

BLUMENTHAL URGES IMMEDIATE ACTION TO RESTORE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, CHIP FUNDING

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) called on Congress to take immediate action after failing to reauthorize funding for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Funding authorization will expire at the end of the fiscal year tomorrow.

"Congressional Republicans and the Trump Administration have violated the public trust and thrust the futures of our children and our communities into uncertainty," said Blumenthal. "Allowing funding for health centers and the CHIP program to lapse is political malpractice to the point of purposeful neglect, endangering a healthcare network that has taken years to construct. Community health centers are worth their weight in gold: they are local employers who provide essential public good to communities in Connecticut and across the country. If this sabotage continues, the economic price will be tremendous - and loss of life will be inevitable. I will continue this fight no matter how long it takes, and I hope my Republican colleagues will join me. There is nothing red or blue about saving lives."

Today, Blumenthal joined U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) at the Fair Haven Community Health Center in New Haven to urge immediate action to restore community health center and CHIP funding. Community health centers across Connecticut will lose $37.8 million if action is not taken to extend the Community Health Center Fund, potentially resulting in 90,545 Connecticut patients losing access to care and 530 health center workers losing their jobs.