- Facing 'Hard Decisions,' Health Centers Plead for Restored Funding The Hill by Rachel Roubein — Community health centers are scrambling to make contingency plans as they anxiously wait to see if Congress will renew billions of dollars in federal funding that expired on Sept. 30. Often situated in medically underserved areas, the health centers provide care to some 26 million of the nation's most vulnerable people. They're required to take any patient who seeks care, regardless of whether they can pay. But the funding uncertainty is causing problems for health centers. Some are instituting hiring freezes and having trouble recruiting and retaining employees. "The uncertainty is so challenging for our members," said Rose Duhan, CEO of the Community Health Care Association of New York State.