NACHC Steps Up, Part II
On April 8th, NACHC penned a letter to Republican and Democratic party leadership (Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and Kevin McCarthy). The letter stated “while all health centers are struggling to keep their doors open, two subsets of health centers are at a particular disadvantage during this crisis:” health centers with over 500 employees and health center program Look-Alikes. “Like all health centers, Look-Alike health centers must meet all of the stringent requirements outlined in Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act; however, unlike most health centers, they are not eligible for Section 330 federal grant funding. As a result, these health centers have received none of the $1.42 billion in funding that Congress has appropriated for Section 330 to date.”To help Look-Alikes keep their doors open, NACHC asked that Congress:Strengthen the Paycheck Protection Program to enable health center organizations to count employees per physical location when determining eligibility. The CARES statute allows businesses in the accommodation and food industries to count their employees on a per-site basis when determining eligibility for the Paycheck Protection Program. We ask that the roughly 100 health centers who have more than 500 employees – and treat an estimated 10 million medically-underserved patients -- be given the same option.
Permit health center program “look-alikes” to receive supplemental emergency funding provided in response to the pandemic. This would require expanding eligibility for Section 330 emergency funding beyond health center grantees to include health center Look-Alikes.
Furthermore, NACHC recommended language to amend Section 330 statute, adding entities approved under Section 1905(I)(2)(B)(iii) of the Social Security Act (i.e. Look-Likes), deeming them eligible to receive Supplemental Awards.
Thank you NACHC for stepping it up, once again for Look-Alikes!
Check out NACHC’s COVID-19 Advocacy Tool Kit page for useful infographics and letter templates.
