PRESS RELEASE
AAPCHO Responds to Long Overdue Funding for Community Health Centers
February 9, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Beverly Quintana
Director of Development and Public Affairs
(510) 272-9536
bquintana[at]aapcho[dot]org
WASHINGTON – The Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO) today released the following statement in response to the bipartisan budget agreement passed by Congress early this morning. The spending bill extends federal funding for community health centers for two years, and lengthened the funding extension for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to a full decade. The bill fell short of providing any legislative solutions to protect Dreamers.
“After months of advocacy and uncertainty, community health centers secured a hard won victory for the 27 million patients and families we serve across the country,” said Jeffrey Caballero, executive director of AAPCHO. “While we are pleased that Congress finally extended funding for health centers and extended funding for CHIP, we regret that it came at a cost.”
While the bill includes funding extensions for health centers, CHIP and other vital programs essential to the health of Asian American (AA), Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI), and other vulnerable populations—it failed to take any action on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. DACA protects 800,000 young undocumented immigrants, including more than 130,000 AA youth, known as “Dreamers” from deportation. The bill also includes cuts to Medicare and to the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which helps to support key programming for AAs, NHPIs, and other underserved communities of color.
“We continue to urge Congress not to leave our young aspiring American youth behind, and to take immediate steps to pass legislation to protect Dreamers,” Caballero added. “We will continue to work with our member health centers and partners to hold members of Congress accountable, and ensure that any proposed policies and programs will safeguard the health and safety of AA, NHPI, and all communities.”
About AAPCHO
AAPCHO is a national association of community health organizations dedicated to promoting advocacy, collaboration and leadership that improves the health status and access of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. For more information on AAPCHO, please visit www.aapcho.org.