For decades before his passing in 2009, Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts was the US Senate’s patron saint of the Community Health Center program. With Kennedy gone, who would grab the baton?
Luckily for our movement, Bernie Sanders - a little-known Independent Senator from Vermont - rose to the challenge, cradling the Community Health Center program in his mittened hands (sorry, I couldn’t resist). All it takes is a quick Google search to see that FQHCs have an unrelenting supporter in Sanders:
Sanders leads 165 members of Congress in calling for billions in community health center funding
Sanders announces bill to expand community health center funding
GOP Officials Publicly Denounce Bernie Sanders’ Obamacare Expansion, Quietly Request Funding
I first met Bernie Sanders when he visited our Southwest Florida health center in January of 2010. He was in town to meet with the Coalition of Immokalee Farmworkers, a local advocacy group for the needs of America’s agricultural workers. What most impressed me at the time was that this was an unpublicized visit - no press coverage - just Bernie and a small staff entourage.
This was no meet and greet photo opportunity, as Bernie spent an entire day with us discussing the many issues involved in providing quality healthcare to a mobile, largely undocumented population. Bernie showed a deep and genuine understanding of our issues and challenges.
Little did we know that in a few short years, Bernie would rise to national prominence and, as a presidential candidate, fuel a progressive movement unlike anything I’ve seen in my adult life. Whether you agree with him or not, it’s hard to deny that Bernie has and continues to have a major impact on US politics, and that health centers are lucky to have him in their corner.
The author (Steve Weinman), Bernie Sanders, and Lesa Peterson during his 2010 visit to their health center.
