skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

U.S. gender wage gap grows for first time in a decade; Trump has embraced NC's Mark Robinson, calling him 'Martin Luther King on steroids'; Volunteers sought as early voting kicks off in MN; Women's political contributions in congressional races fall short of men's.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rising threats of political violence, a Federal Reserve rate cut, crypto industry campaign contributions and reproductive rights are shaping today's political landscape.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Health Clinics Waiting for Congress to Renew Funding

play audio
Play

Wednesday, February 7, 2018   

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Thousands of uninsured Arkansans are currently in limbo, waiting to see if Congress approves funding for community health centers.

Lawmakers face a Thursday deadline to approve a new budget to avoid another shutdown of the federal government.

The Federally Qualified Health Centers program was not renewed in October, and unless Congress acts, money for clinics will run out on April 1.

LaShannon Spencer, CEO of Community Health Center of Arkansas, was in Washington this week, lobbying lawmakers for funding.

"When you start thinking about the impact of the funding in the future and the patients, it's critical because of potential hiring freezes, layoffs, staff, reducing hours, or actually closing, and a delay in expansion of health centers," she states.

Spencer says there are 135 community clinics in Arkansas that are often the only health care option for low-income and uninsured families.

In most cases, more than half of the funding for community clinics comes from the federal program.

Spencer adds that community clinics are the health care home of most of Arkansas's 300,000 Medicaid patients.

She says without access to care at the clinics, low-income and uninsured Arkansans would have few choices when they need health care.

"So many of the patients that our health centers actually see are based in rural areas, and they would have to travel to an ER (emergency room) because of the lack of providers within their communities," Spencer points out.

Community clinics provide free or low-cost care, funded by grants and donations as well as local, state and federal dollars.

Lawmakers have until midnight Thursday to OK a budget, or at least a temporary extension, to keep the clinics – and the government – running.





get more stories like this via email

more stories
Recipients of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant can now access funding to drive financing for thousands of climate-focused and clean energy initiatives. (bilanol/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Michigan's most vulnerable communities are receiving federal funding to fight the devastating effects of climate change. It's part of the $27 billion …


Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Health Literacy Month, and a Denver-based group is working to help health professionals break a persistent pattern of discrimination …

Environment

play sound

A new report contends fossil fuel funding has biased Columbia University's climate research. The report, by two Columbia students, shows the …


Alabama releases roughly 220,279 men and 78,247 women from its prisons and jails each year. (Chad Robertson/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

An Alabama woman is on a mission to help people who've been incarcerated for decades successfully transition back into society. The mission to …

Health and Wellness

play sound

In North Carolina, the gap between Medicaid reimbursement rates and the actual cost of dental care has reached a crisis point, impacting both …

So far in 2024, community health centers in North Dakota have screened 11,580 patients for food insecurity. Through those screenings, more than three thousand box meals have been distributed. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

September is Hunger Action Month. In North Dakota, it isn't just food banks trying to help underserved populations get nutritious items. Health …

Environment

play sound

Marine biologists conducting deep dives near five California islands are collecting data they hope will strengthen the case for ending gillnet fishing…

Environment

play sound

Researchers at Iowa State University are taking aim at the huge amount of energy used by data centers, now and in the future. They have developed a …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021