WASHINGTON — The largest primary healthcare system in the U.S. is at risk of losing 70% of its funding due to the congressional gridlock over a spending bill aimed at averting a government shutdown.
Unless Congress acts by Sept. 30, all federal funding for community health centers will expire. An estimated 300 grantees have relied on the Community Health Center Fund since 2015.
According to advocates, the effects of the fiscal uncertainty are already trickling down to clinics across the nation when it comes to staffing.
"This uncertainty month to month is not good for recruitment, retention, and our abilities to serve our patients," the National Association for Community Health Centers President Dr. Kyu Rhee told WUSA9 as he finished lobbying on Capitol Hill.
Rhee says that recruiting physicians or nurses amid a potential shutdown might steer health professionals away from centers funded by the federal government.
"It has an impact on retaining your workforce. It has an impact on patients who get nervous about whether or not you will have the resources to deliver the care that they need. So it has extraordinary impact, particularly for providers and patients," he added.
Community Health Centers serve 31.5 million patients across the country. 51 of the centers are located in the DMV:
- District of Columbia-8
- Maryland-17
- Virginia-26
Centers in the capitol region told WUSA9 that a possible shutdown would not interrupt services immediately or mean that clinics would have to close down.
The largest federally qualified health center in the District, Unity Health Care, which serves one in eight residents says they are preparing for the possible implications of a government shutdown. In a statement, they added,
"There is concern that staffing reductions may contribute to delays in processing, which could have an impact on our patients and the organization. Our top priority remains being able to take care of our patients and we remain concerned that any shutdown will have a negative impact on the livelihoods of those we serve."
La Clinica del Pueblo who has been serving the Latino community in Maryland and the District for forty years echoed concerns. The Chief Development Officer Rachel Ugarte told WUSA9 in a statement. "We are prepared to face the challenge head-on and will mitigate any issues so that there is no impact on our operations."