| (Washington, D.C.) U.S. Rep. Mike Ross (AR-04) today touted two important health bills he helped pass this week in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Ross helped pass H.R. 5573, the Health Center Renewal Act, which authorizes $10 billion in funding for the federal community health centers program from fiscal year 2007 to 2011. Community health centers have provided health care to more than 15 million medically underserved individuals in the United States for over 40 years. There are more than 1,000 of these health centers, which provide care to one in eight uninsured Americans, one in four Americans living in poverty, and one in nine Americans living in rural communities.
“Community Health Centers play an especially important role in providing health care services to the uninsured and individuals with low-incomes in rural areas,” Ross stated.
“As a Member of Congress who represents a rural district, I understand the vital part Community Health Centers play in our communities. For many individuals, these centers are the only source for obtaining necessary health services. Since my election to Congress in 2000, I have continually strived to provide better Community Health Centers to the people of Arkansas.”
Ross also worked to pass H.R. 5574, Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education (GME) Support Reauthorization Act of 2006, which authorizes $300 million in funding for the children's hospital graduate medical education program (GME) from fiscal year 2007 to 2011. The bill also requires each hospital to report to Congress on the results of its annual residency training program and any recommendations for improvements.
In 1999, Congress authorized the Children's Hospitals GME Program and reauthorized it in 2000 through fiscal year 2005. This program has provided federal funds to children's teaching hospitals, which have supported the training of almost 30 percent of all pediatricians and almost half of all pediatric specialists.
“I believe that we need affordable, accessible rural health care for people across south Arkansas and across America,” Ross said.
“Congress must put progress before partisanship to ensure that our children’s hospitals and Community Health Centers can continue to provide quality health care in our communities. I am committed to working with my colleagues in the House to provide better health care for all individuals and I believe that the passage of these bills was a step in the right direction.”
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