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Regular Session, 2012
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 133
BY REPRESENTATIVE SIMON AND SENATOR HEITMEIER
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To recognize Wednesday, May 9, 2012, as Louisiana Primary Care Association Day at the
legislature.
WHEREAS, the Louisiana Primary Care Association is a nonprofit corporation
whose purpose is to promote accessible, affordable, quality primary health care for uninsured
and medically underserved populations in Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, members of the Louisiana Primary Care Association include twenty-
eight Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) which promote health care access for all
and elimination of health disparities; and
WHEREAS, FQHCs are a vital component of our state's health care system,
providing underserved communities access to coordinated primary and preventive care; and
WHEREAS, FQHCs play a significant role in providing quality, accessible, and
affordable patient care as Louisiana strives to build a health care system equipped for the
twenty-first century; and
WHEREAS, FQHCs serve nearly nineteen million patients across our nation; and
WHEREAS, these providers serve nearly two hundred seven thousand patients in
Louisiana of which forty-four percent are uninsured, thirty-eight percent are Medicaid
recipients, and seventy-nine percent have incomes at or below the federal poverty level; and
WHEREAS, FQHCs are essential for underserved communities and vulnerable
populations and provide care to those who need it most, including millions of Americans
with no medical insurance and whose illnesses might otherwise result in an unmet medical
need or emergency room visit; and
WHEREAS, FQHCs are comprehensive community wellness hubs which diagnose
and treat illness and injury and emphasize preventive care and wellness practices; and ENROLLEDHCR NO. 133
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WHEREAS, while FQHCs are rooted in community-based and patient-centered care,
they also respond to the unique needs of their local communities by conducting outreach and
education, ensuring that patients can communicate with their providers, and linking patients
with social services; and
WHEREAS, serving as an economic anchor in many low-income and economically
struggling communities, FQHCs are an integral source of local employment and economic
growth at the heart of a modern, reformed health care system in America.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
acknowledge the vital role that Federally Qualified Health Centers play in improving public
health in our state and recognize Wednesday, May 9, 2012, as Louisiana Primary Care
Association Day at the legislature.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
executive director of the Louisiana Primary Care Association.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATI VES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE