More Co-Signers Needed for the Health Center FY 2009 Appropriations Letters

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Dear Colleagues,

In case you are not signed up with the National Association of Community Health Centers' grass roots communications network, here is your chance to share this info with your staff, your patients and their families.

The workings of government and legislative process are often mysterious to those untrained in the system. I often talk with people who do not know the difference between the terms "authorization" and "appropriations". NACHC has made it simple for us to communicate with our legislators, and it is up to us to make sure that our patients know enough about the system to offer informed input in civic engagement.

Here is a current e-mail from Marc Weatherhorn at NACHC that offers an opportunity to start that process.

Bobbi

From: Pears and Marc Wetherhorn [mailto:grassroots@...] Sent: Friday, February 22, 2008 10:43 AMBobbi RyderSubject: More Co-Signers Needed for the Health Center FY 2009 Appropriations Letters

Only 12 Senators and 28 Representatives Have Signed the FY 2009 Health Center Appropriations Letters! Have Your Members Signed On? Check Here

The Health Center Appropriations Letters are the first step in achieving greater funding for Health Centers next year. The House (Pallone-Deal) and Senate (Stabenow-Bond) Health Center Appropriations Dear Colleague Letters are now circulating. Both letters ask appropriators to support a $248 million funding increase for Health Centers in FY2009. Now is the time to ask your Members to sign on to the Health Center Appropriations letters! Confirm their support TODAY and say Thank You in person when you see them in Washington for the P & I. Please contact your Representative and Senators NOW by clicking on the link at the end of this message.

Ask your Senators to sign on to the Stabenow-Bond Health Center Appropriations Letter. Senators can contact Oliver Kim with Sen. Stabenow or Jolly with Sen. Bond.

Ask your Representative to sign on to the Pallone-Deal Health Center Appropriations Letter. To sign on to the Health Center Appropriations Letters Representatives can contact Elana Leventhal with Rep. Pallone or Little with Rep. Deal.The deadline for signatures in the both Houses is March 30, but we would like to be close to our goal of majorities in both Houses by March 15th.

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Background

Dear Colleague Letters are a way Members of Congress can publicly demonstrate their support for Health Centers. For Health Centers this is the way we begin to generate the support necessary for increased funding each year. In the House, Representatives Pallone (D-NJ) and Deal (R-GA) have initiated a Dear Colleague Letter to Labor, HHS Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Obey (D-WI) which all Members of the U.S. House of Representatives have a chance to sign. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO) have initiated the same kind of letter to Senate Labor, HHS Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Ranking Member Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) which Senators can sign. Both letters ask appropriators to support a $248 million increase for Health Centers in FY2009.

This year's effort for an increase in funding will again be a major challenge because, we are asking for a greater increase than President Bush has requested ($26 million). That's why we will once again need a tremendous demonstration of grassroots support from you and others at your Health Center.

Lists of members who have already signed the letters and the texts of the letters are available on the NACHC website at http://www.nachc.com/appropriations.cfm

If you have any questions, please contact Pears at apears@... or 202-331-4614Click the link below to log in and send your message:http://grassroots.nachc.com/target.aspx?id=nachc:21232969

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Bobbi Ryder, President & CEO

National Center for Farmworker Health, Inc.

1770 FM 967

Buda, TX 78610

(512) 312-5453 (Direct)

(512) 312-5451 (Assistant, Estrada-Boren)

(512) 312-2600 (Fax)

www.ncfh.org