WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Roberts (R-KS) said that late yesterday, the Senate approved legislation he cosponsored to renew two important health programs for Kansas: adding incentives to attract more primary care physicians and other health professionals to medically underserved areas and expanding Community Health Centers throughout Kansas.

"I am pleased we passed this legislation to give more Kansans access to top quality health services, especially in rural areas. Our rural communities in Kansas have unique needs and these programs attract more primary health professionals to help rural patients and providers," Senator Roberts said. "As Co-Chairman of the Senate Rural Health Caucus, I believe improving access to quality health care is essential to preserving our rural way of life."

The "Health Centers Renewal Act of 2007," S. 901, introduced by Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT), includes increased funding for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) program which is a long-standing federal loan repayment and scholarship program which focuses on getting primary care physicians and other primary health professionals to medically underserved areas. These professionals go to areas that critically need the manpower and have trouble recruiting health professionals and receive loan repayment or scholarships in exchange for serving a certain number of years in a community. Kansas had forty-six placements across the state in 2006, with the bulk of these professionals located in rural areas.

Also as part of this legislation, the Community Health Centers program is renewed and expanded for another five years. Community Health Centers (CHC) are local, non-profit, community-owned health care providers serving low-income and medically underserved communities. Nationally, the network of community health centers has been in existence for over 40 years and provides high-quality, affordable primary care and preventive services, including dental, pharmaceutical, mental health and substance abuse services. Kansas has ten federally-funded Community Health Centers located in Kansas and two located in Missouri that serve Kansans. This bill will expand the current Community Health Centers and their services as well expand the number of CHC’s in Kansas.

"This is a program that works," Roberts said. "Community health centers are the primary care safety net for so many Kansans and these centers provide critical services to Kansans each day, regardless of a patient’s insurance status or ability to pay. Studies have shown that those who use this program are healthier and use emergency rooms less, which keeps costs lower for all Kansans. It is my hope that passage of this bill will allow this program to expand to other Kansas communities. "

Roberts, who serves on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, is an original cosponsor of this bipartisan legislation. In 2007, Senator Roberts was awarded the 2007 Distinguished Community Health Super Hero Award by the National Association of Community Health Centers and the Kansas Association of the Medically Underserved, for his support of the bill approved today.

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