Advocates for Community Health Calls on Congress to Approve $7.87B in Annual Funding for Community Health Centers

Advocates for Community Health urges Congress to boost funding for community health centers, expanding access, workforce, and care nationwide.

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, August 27, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Advocates for Community Health (ACH), a nonpartisan membership organization representing innovative federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) nationwide, is calling for a bold new investment in the Community Health Center Program as the Health Center Fund is set to expire on September 30, 2025, and warns that flat funding is threatening the nation’s most effective primary care network.

The Trump Administration recently announced record-breaking performance for FQHCs in 2024, reaching 34 million patients and providing new levels of high-quality care; however, the Health Center Fund received just one small increase in seven years. In a recent letter to Congress, ACH calls for stronger investment so that FQHCs can truly deliver on a healthier America.

Despite the vital role health centers play, one in five Americans is living with a chronic disease, and one in three still lacks access to primary care. With the bold investment ACH is calling for, community health centers could close this gap and help restore health in communities nationwide. Yet funding has not kept pace—declining over the past five years from $138.16 per patient to just $106.83 per patient.

ACH’s CHC Invest Campaign urges lawmakers to:

- Increase the Community Health Center Fund to $7.87 billion annually for three years
- Reinvest in the primary care workforce, including $950 million per year for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and $300 million per year for the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) Program

ACH’s proposed increase to the CHC Fund could allow CHCs to hire 27,00 more nurses; 12,000 more physicians; open over 8,000 new sites, or deliver 19 million more patient visits.

“Community health centers are the backbone of primary care in rural and underserved communities,” said Amanda Pears Kelly, CEO, Advocates for Community Health. “We have the data, the infrastructure, and the commitment to transform health outcomes nationwide, but we need Congress to make the historic investments required to meet the growing need and bring the vision of a healthier America to reality.”

Research shows that every $1 invested in primary care, such as that provided by community health centers, saves $13 in downstream health costs by preventing expensive complications and reducing emergency room visits. The Congressional Budget Office has found that CHCs improve chronic disease control and save money for the Medicaid and Medicare programs.

If approved, ACH’s proposal would expand access, improve preventive care, grow the healthcare workforce, and fuel innovation – ensuring CHCs can continue serving veterans, older adults, working families, and other vulnerable populations.

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About Advocates for Community Health

Advocates for Community Health (ACH) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit membership organization of community health centers dedicated to forward-thinking and ambitious federal policy and advocacy on behalf of health centers, their patients, and their communities nationwide. Learn more at advocatesforcommunityhealth.org.

Sandy A. Applebee
Advocates for Community Health
+1 240-357-2273
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