‘Confusion and Uncertainty’ Grip Community Health Centers Over Potential Pause in Federal Funding

The Birmingham Times More than a dozen Birmingham-area Community Health Centers (CHCs) that rely on multiple federal grant programs to provide primary and preventive care services to patients are looking for guidance after the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) temporarily paused all federal grants and certain funding streams pending further review. Cahaba Medical Center; Alabama Regional Medical Services; Christ Health Center, Inc.; and Bessemer Health Center are a few of medical providers that serve patients throughout the Birmingham metro area. As of Tuesday afternoon, CHCs were unable to access federal funding through typical channels, which has caused confusion and uncertainty, according to The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC). The organization said CHCs rely on multiple federal grant programs to provide primary and preventive care services to over 32.5 million patients, or 1 in 10 people nationwide. As of 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 28, a federal judge temporarily blocked the funding pause until Monday afternoon, February 3rd. The NACHC issued a press release to Community Health Centers across the country including Birmingham saying it is proactively engaging with the Trump Administration and Congressional leaders to gather additional information and provide guidance for CHCs. “NACHC’s priority is to ensure...