WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Roberts (R-KS) today praised the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee for their work to pass important health legislation for low-income and medically underserved communities.

"As a member of the HELP Committee," Senator Roberts said, "I have long supported increased funding for community health centers. I am pleased our committee has provided greater resources to enhance the critical services such centers provide for Kansans each day, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay."

The HELP Committee unanimously approved S. 3771, the Community Health Center (CHC) reauthorization bill. This bill renews the CHC program for two additional years and increases the authorized funding both years. Earlier this year, Senator Roberts wrote a letter to the Senate appropriators requesting more funding for this program.

Community Health Centers 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 10 federally-funded Community Health Centers located in Kansas and two located in Missouri that serve Kansans. In 2004, the Kansas health centers served over 62,000 individuals across the state.

"This is a program that works. Community health centers are the primary care safety net for so many Kansans and 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. " Senator Roberts said.

The bill will now go to the Senate floor for debate and a vote.