The Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers renewed its call for legislative support on Tuesday, citing escalating challenges that have strained the state’s health system over the past year.
President Michael Curry opened the event by reflecting on last year’s lobby day, which highlighted a workforce contraction exacerbated by the pandemic, leading to a significant capacity crunch in community health centers. “The system is under even further strain,” Curry stated, noting increased wait times for primary care, persistent workforce retention issues, an influx of migrants, and growing complexities in medical needs, all while one of the state’s largest hospital groups faces an uncertain future.
“We’re grateful to be here during what we believe will be an active and productive period for our Legislature in addressing some deep challenges within our health system,” Curry said. He expressed hope that upcoming health-related bills and a supplemental budget would provide opportunities to address the crisis.
The League’s priorities include establishing a commercial payment floor to ensure commercial plans pay health centers at least as much as MassHealth, mandating pharmaceutical manufacturers to ship drugs under the 340B program to community health center-contracted pharmacies, and securing $50 million in bond funding for community health center capital needs. Additionally, they are seeking $20 million to fund worker recruitment and training programs, $5 million for workforce initiatives such as loan repayment and retention bonuses, and $4.9 million for a state budget grant line item for community health centers.
Brockton Neighborhood Health Center CEO Sue Joss underscored the urgent need for $75 million in stabilization and access expansion funding in the next supplemental budget. “As much as systemic reform is needed, we also need immediate support from the Legislature to help us mitigate the current crisis,” Joss said. She highlighted the strain on emergency rooms when patients can’t access primary care, particularly in Brockton, where capacity has been severely impacted by the closure of Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital and the abrupt shutdown of Compass Medical practices.
“Both Good Samaritan Medical Center and South Shore Hospital are operating beyond capacity in their ERs and maternity units,” Joss reported. This situation has forced BNHC to manage sicker patients and avoid sending them to overwhelmed ERs whenever possible. The influx of migrants has further strained capacity, leading BNHC to establish its first primary care waitlist for adult patients, which peaked at 1,900 patients and remains substantial despite efforts to reduce it.
Joss also pointed to the uncertainty surrounding Steward Health Care’s bankruptcy and its impact on Good Samaritan Hospital, where staff departures have led to sudden service cuts. “This has included reduced access to colonoscopies, mammograms, and bone density testing, and the closure of oncology and hematology services,” she said. The potential loss of OB coverage at Good Samaritan could force patients to seek emergency care during labor, an untenable situation given existing capacity issues at other hospitals.
Financially, BNHC posted a $5 million loss last fiscal year and anticipates a similar deficit this year. “We didn’t make cuts last year because our community was already so strained,” Joss explained. “Now we’re struggling to figure out how to avoid cuts that might devastate our already-struggling community.”
As the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers continues to advocate for legislative action, the urgency of addressing these deep-rooted issues remains clear.
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