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Prince George's County budget cuts threaten federally qualified health centers, work group members say
Summary
Members of a Prince George's County work group said cuts to the county's program that reimburses clinics for uninsured residents would risk clinic closures, reduced services and higher strain on emergency care. The group discussed preserving short‑term funding while planning longer‑term, sustainable financing.
A Prince George's County work group on county health coverage warned that proposed budget reductions to the county's health reimbursement program would jeopardize the financial stability and operations of several federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) that serve uninsured and low‑income residents.
At a virtual meeting, Anya (work group staff presenter) summarized survey responses from FQHCs and said the "main interconnected impacts of reduced funding would be, financial sustainability challenges" and that some respondents had signaled "potential closures" of county sites. She said reduced funding also would drive staff cuts, higher caseloads, longer waits and reduced outreach.
Why it matters: FQHCs provide primary and preventive care to people who otherwise lack access. Members of the work group and health center representatives said losing or shrinking clinic capacity would push more uninsured patients to emergency departments and increase uncompensated care costs across the health system.
"Once a health center closes, they're not gonna reopen,"…
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