As the health care debate carries on, my staff and I remain plugged into this issue. We will continue to deliver a fact-based analysis of any new information we receive, and break down the specific impact it will have for us here in Nevada.
While reviewing these updates, it’s important to keep in mind that the state of health care for constituents in other congressional districts can be quite different than the reality we face in CD-2. As your representative, my goal is to ensure that I’m always putting my best foot forward for you in Washington by looking at an issue from all angles, doing my homework, and determining how it will affect us. I ask that you please take a moment to review this information and let me know what you think through my website.
This week, I am addressing Community Health Centers (CHCs), and providing clarification on some of the misconceptions you might have heard about women’s access to care.
MYTH: The American Health Care Act (AHCA) cuts funding for women’s health services.
FACT: Instead, the AHCA expands women’s access to health services by redirecting federal funding to CHCs, which vastly outnumber Planned Parenthood clinics in CD-2 by a ratio of at least 17 to 1. In 2017, CHCs in CD-2 received more than $15.2 million in federal funding, according to the National Association of Community Health Centers. I’m pleased to see Nevada using this funding as effectively as possible, spreading it across CD-2’s 17 CHC locations to ensure that women in every corner of our district have access to the care they need. The services CHCs do not or cannot provide may be referred to other health care providers, which might sometimes include, but is not limited to Planned Parenthood.
MYTH: CHCs do not give women access to the same range of services as Planned Parenthood clinics.
FACT: CHCs in CD-2 provide patients with access to the following women's health services: contraception management, general health and wellness screenings, and well-woman exams (pap smears, breast exams, and other Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) defined woman’s exams). Additional services provided at our CHCs include: primary care; dental care; and pediatric care. While CHCs generally do not provide abortion services, neither does the single Planned Parenthood location in CD-2. Not only do CHCs give women in CD-2 access to all of the same services provided at the Planned Parenthood in Reno, but they also provide patients with a greater range of services.
MYTH: CHCs can’t actually make up the gap in access to care.
FACT: In CD-2, not only do CHCs make up the gap in coverage by offering the same exact services made available at the Reno Planned Parenthood clinic, but our CHCs go above and beyond by offering women additional services.
In regards to women’s ability to access these services, it’s again important to remember that the only Planned Parenthood location in CD-2 is in Reno and hundreds of miles away from women living in rural Nevada. Without question, CHCs in CD-2 are actually the health care providers making up the gap in access, providing care throughout Northern Nevada in: Reno, Carson City, Virginia City, Austin, Carlin, Crescent Valley, Elko, Eureka, Jackpot, and Wendover.
MYTH: CHCs are not able to provide care for contraceptive, reproductive, or family planning services for patients with low incomes.
FACT: CHCs are able and do provide contraceptive services including birth control prescriptions and reproductive services for women such as those listed above. Our centers also offer federally recognized teen pregnancy programs with a concentrated focus on families. In fact, to receive this funding, the center must use a pre-reviewed, successful program – so it’s proven to be effective. Learn more about these programs below:
- Northern Nevada Hopes – Families Talking Together Program (Reno)
- Mission: Families Talking Together (FTT) is an evidence based program designed to support effective parent-adolescent communication among families in order to delay sexual initiation among young people ages 10-14. (Source: http://nvpca.org/hopesftt)
- Nevada Health Centers, Inc. – Seventeen Days Program (10 locations in CD-2, 7 of those serving rural Nevada)
- Mission: Seventeen Days is an evidence-based interactive film designed to educate adolescent girls (over age 14) about decision-making, contraception, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). (Source: http://nvpca.org/tpp17days)
- Community Health Alliance – Making Proud Choices (Reno)
- Mission: Making Proud Choices is an evidence-based, eight-module curriculum that provides young adolescents with the knowledge, confidence and skills necessary to reduce their risk of STIs, HIV, and pregnancy. (Source: http://nvpca.org/tppmpc/)
Furthermore, across Nevada, about 50% of patients utilizing CHCs are on Medicaid, compared to just 5% of Medicaid patients being serviced by the three Planned Parenthood clinics in Nevada. Therefore, the safety net for low-income individuals is being provided by CHCs.
Click here for a list of the CHCs in Nevada and here for additional facts and figures related to our centers.
As promised, my staff and I will continue examining different aspects of the health care issue and clarifying what it means for folks in Nevada. Stay tuned for the next health care update in which we plan to examine: the state of health care in Nevada.
