Along with several bipartisan co-sponsors, notably U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff announced the passage of the MOBILE Health Act – Maximizing Outcomes through Better Investments in Lifesaving Equipment – that aims to bring more mobile health clinics and rural health centers to Georgia.
The bill was first introduced last spring by Collins and Rosen – members of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee – and would expand an existing grant program for rural healthcare to include part-time mobile clinics, as well as the renovation, acquisition and construction of health centers to in rural and other underserved areas. The bill allows for greater flexibility of the grants awarded so community centers can use funds to meet their specific needs and improve healthcare outcomes. Eight rural Georgia hospitals have closed over the past decade, with few real signs of great improvement for the economics of rural healthcare. Population trends have not changed much, one of the major factors.
“We have worked together as Democrats and Republicans to create more opportunities for Georgia families to access health care,” said Sen. Ossoff.
The bill was introduced in the heat of Covid last spring but the rural healthcare crisis was already underway for years before Covid, which just exacerbated the already existing issue. “I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation to invest in mobile clinics and provide health centers greater funding, flexibility, and resources to community health centers, as well as ensure that our small and rural communities are not left behind during this public health crisis,” said Sen. Rosen as she introduced the bill.
The grants are focused on community health centers, which serve more than 29 million patients across the country, including nearly half a million veterans and almost 9 million children. The community health centers, also known as Federally-Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), are recognize for federal assistance based on the needs of the populations they serve. Rural areas around the country do not have the population to support full-time health centers and thus do not have consistent access to primary care services. The MOBILE Health Act will help to full some of those gaps. Endorsed by the National Association of Community Health Centers, the funding available is at least $50 million, though more may be allocated from other programs.
“The MOBILE Health Care Act would help community health centers further expand their reach to the most rural parts of our state by giving them greater flexibility and allowing them to bring clinics even closer to the patients they serve,” said Sen. Collins.
The bill now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration. There is already companion legislation in the House, also along bipartisan lines, which would seem to give good odds for passage of the Senate bill.
