Monday, Aug. 13, at the start of National Health Center Week, U.S. Representative Jeff Denham (R-CA) announced his co-sponsorship of H.R. 5899, the School-Based Health Centers Reauthorization Act of 2018, to improve access to important healthcare services for children, including at four school-based health centers in California’s 10th District.

“The Central Valley faces unique barriers to healthcare, and these school-based centers are improving access for our children,” said Rep. Denham. “Access is the number one healthcare issue facing our community, and I’m working to fix that with common sense bills like this one.”

School-based health centers are healthcare centers set up inside of public schools. There are thousands of these health centers across the country, serving more than 2 million K-12 students. Four are in California’s 10th District – in Modesto, Riverbank, and Westley – and play a major role in providing a safe environment for area children to get the specialized care they need. The School-Based Health Centers Reauthorization Act of 2018 provides funding for these critical institutions for the next five years, making sure children can still receive the services they need to stay healthy and active.

Congressman Denham has been a top congressional leader in promoting legislative solutions to bring more access to the valley and supporting Federally Qualified Health Centers. This includes co-authoring H.R. 3770, the Community Health Investment, Modernization and Excellence (CHIME) Act of 2017, which reauthorizes the Community Health Center Fund for five years with gradual increases in funding up to $4.4 billion by 2022. The Health Center Program awards grants to outpatient health care facilities that provide care to medically underserved populations like the Central Valley.

As part of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, Congress reauthorized Community Health Center funding for two years, which will directly support Golden Valley, Community Medical, and Livingston Community Health Centers in California’s 10th District.

Denham represents California’s 10th congressional district, which includes Stanislaus County and a portion of San Joaquin County. He is the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials and also serves on the House Committees on Agriculture and Natural Resources.