Medical Providers Face Federal Funding Cuts

CONROE, TX — The possibility of another government shutdown, and continued inaction by congressional leaders could have a significant impact on local healthcare organizations.

Officials with the Lone Star Family Health Center said they are facing significant federal funding cuts to both their Community Health Center and Teaching Health Center programs without action from Congress by Feb 8.

The health center’s main location is at 605 South Conroe Medical Drive next to Conroe Regional Medical Center with satellite clinics in Spring and Willis, TX and opening soon in the Grangerland area.

“We are concerned,” says LSFHC Chief Executive Officer, Karen Harwell, “The numbers are troubling and we need action from our supporters in Congress right now.”

The numbers that Harwell refers to are these:

• medical care
• dental care
• behavioral health
• pharmacy services

About Lone Star Family Health CenterFounded in 2002, Lone Star Family Health Center is a 501(c)(3), non-profit, Federally Qualified Health Center with a mission to provide compassionate, affordable healthcare and prepare tomorrow’s family medicine professionals.

The Lone Star Family Health Center serves more than 30,000 individuals and has more than over 190 employees at three clinic locations, and contributes approximately $21 million to the local economy each year.

But without decisive action from Congress, LSFHC’s federal funding will be reduced by 56 percent, Harwell said.

Such a significant cut could result in closing clinic sites, laying off staff, limiting hours of operation, and delaying the start of much needed projects.

“Such a substantial hit to the community’s health care safety net system would be detrimental,” says Harwell, “We would not have the capacity to provide low-cost primary care to approximately 4,500 of our current patients.

In addition to providing healthcare, LSFHC currently employs and trains 30 family medicine resident physicians in their community health center system.

Over 60 percent of the resident graduates go on to practice medicine in Texas, and nearly one-third stay in Montgomery County.

Unfortunately, federal funding for nine of these residents is also at risk.

The United States is facing a primary care physician shortage, and that shortage is multiplied when you focus on physicians willing to work with underserved populations.

Teaching health centers like LSFHC are critical to the future of primary care, especially in low income populations and rural areas

There is broad bipartisan support for both CHCs and THCs because they reach low-income and medically underserved communities and serve all patients regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.

Community health centers are highly efficient, spending only 0.73 percent of the Texas Medicaid budget while taking care of 8.9 percent of the state’s Medicaid population.

LSFHC’s ability to provide low-cost care in this community is, and will, continue to be essential as Montgomery County experiences more growth and expansion

Without a fix to this funding cliff, the cost of local health care will incline as more patients turn to emergency rooms for care.

Photo: Shutterstock

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