HOUSE RESOLUTION NO.130
Reps. Brenda Carter, Bezotte, Bierlein, Fitzgerald, Glanville,
Haadsma, Koleszar, Morse, Rheingans and Weiss offered the following
resolution:
1 A resolution to declare August 6-12, 2023, as National Health
2 Center Week in the state of Michigan.
3 Whereas, For over 50 years, community health centers have
4 provided high-quality, affordable, comprehensive, primary and
5 preventive health care in our nation’s underserved communities,
6 delivering value to, and having a significant impact on, America’s
7 health care system; and
8 Whereas, As the country’s largest primary care network,
9 community health centers are the health care home for 30 million
10 Americans in over 14,000 locations across the nation. One in every
National Health Center W 23H
 2
1 eleven people in the United States gets their care in a community
2 health center; and
3 Whereas, Community health centers are a critical element of
4 the health system, serving both rural and urban communities, and
5 often providing the only accessible and dependable source of
6 primary care in their communities. Nationwide, community health
7 centers serve one in every five residents of rural areas; and
8 Whereas, Community health centers serve as beacons of
9 essential resources and support in the face of disasters and
10 pandemics and will continue to respond quickly to care for
11 America’s most vulnerable and underserved communities. Health
12 centers have administered over 20 million COVID-19 tests and over
13 22.2 million vaccines to date; and
14 Whereas, Every day, community health centers develop new
15 approaches to the integration of a wide range of services beyond
16 primary care including oral health, vision, behavioral health, and
17 pharmacy services in order to meet the needs and challenges of
18 their communities. Health centers have more than doubled their
19 behavioral health workforce in the last decade to meet Americans’
20 growing need for behavioral health services; and
21 Whereas, Community health centers are governed by patient-
22 majority boards, ensuring that the patients of each health center
23 are engaged in their own healthcare decisions; and
24 Whereas, They are also locally owned and operated small
25 businesses that serve as critical economic engines, helping to
26 power local economies by generating $63 billion in economic
27 activity in some of the country’s most economically-challenged
28 communities; and
29 Whereas, Community health centers nationally support more than
 3
1 270,000 direct and indirect jobs, including physicians, nurse
2 practitioners, physician assistants, licensed family therapists,
3 and certified nurse-midwives who work as part of multi-disciplinary
4 clinical teams designed to treat the whole patient; and
5 Whereas, The community health center model continues to prove
6 as an effective means of overcoming barriers to healthcare access,
7 including geography, income, and insurance status, the improvement
8 of healthcare outcomes, and a reduction in healthcare system costs;
9 and
10 Whereas, Community health centers reduce overall costs of care
11 by helping manage patients’ chronic conditions, keeping them out of
12 costlier healthcare settings like hospital emergency rooms; and
13 Whereas, Community health centers are on the front lines of
14 emerging healthcare crises, providing access to care for our
15 nation’s veterans, addressing the opioid epidemic, and responding
16 to public health threats in the wake of natural disasters. Almost
17 500 health centers operate close to 1,000 mobile units, providing
18 health services in hundreds of rural and urban communities; and
19 Whereas, National Health Center Week offers the opportunity to
20 celebrate over 1,400 health center organizations in the United
21 States with over 14,000 service delivery sites, along with their
22 dedicated staff, board members, patients, and those responsible for
23 their continued success and growth; and
24 Whereas, During National Health Center Week, we honor the
25 legacy of America’s community health centers and their vital role
26 in shaping the past, present, and future of our healthcare system;
27 now, therefore, be it
28 Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of
29 this legislative body declare August 6-12, 2023, as National Health
 4
1 Center Week in the state of Michigan. We encourage all Americans to
2 participate by visiting their local health center and celebrating
3 the important partnership between America’s community health
4 centers and the communities they serve.