Press Releases

Newton, MA – In an urgent appeal to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Mitch McConnell, Congressman Joe Kennedy III led the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation in calling for a minimum of nearly $70 billion in additional funding for community health centers (CHCs) over the next five years.  As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, CHCs in Massachusetts have begun to furlough staff members in order to continue operations and provide care to the vulnerable patients they serve.

In early March, when Massachusetts only had dozens of confirmed COVID-19 cases, Kennedy convened a roundtable discussion at East Boston Neighborhood Health Center and called on Congressional leadership to provide immediate, robust funding for community health centers. In the weeks since, he has been an outspoken supporter of CHCs in each and every emergency response package.

“Community health centers aren’t just on the frontlines of our nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, they are keeping our overwhelmed health care system afloat. But today, decades of inadequate federal funding are forcing them to furlough staff and providers who are desperately needed to guide our country out of this crisis. As it becomes increasingly clear that communities of color are bearing the brunt of COVID-19, now is not the time to handcuff our community health centers with uncertainty and underfunding.”

Kennedy’s letter was signed by the entire Massachusetts Congressional delegation. The full letter can be found HERE.

##