CHCANYS Assistant Director of Policy Lacey Clarke testified at a joint Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means Legislative Hearing on the health and Medicaid sections of the 2017-18 New York State Executive Budget on Thursday, February 16. During her presentation, Ms.Clarke highlighted the need for a $20M increase in indigent care funding for FQHCs and other safety net providers, many of whom may be forced to reduce staff, eliminate expansion plans and/or limit access to services without it. Ms. Clarke also talked about the central role played by FQHCs and other community-based providers in the State’s ongoing health system transformation efforts and asked that a minimum of 25% of the $500M allocated to the Health Care Facility Transformation Program be earmarked for community-based providers to enable them to participate meaningfully in reform initiatives. A copy of her testimony is available here. To read CHCANYS' press release, click here.