For over 40 years, MPCA has been an active participant in health policy and quality improvement initiatives that enhance access to affordable, high-quality, and equitable health care for all. MPCA and its health center members are available to provide subject matter expertise and stories of Maine citizens impacted by the challenging health care issues of the day.

The Community Health Center (CHC) model provides a paradigm for how Maine should think about primary care delivery moving into a post-pandemic world. Health centers have built their care delivery standards around the notion that a true health home finds a way to address patients as the complex and whole human beings that they are. Rooted in its mission, CHCs promote health equity, while identifying ways to increase efficiency, improve quality of care, and seek innovations in care delivery. They are patient-driven, led by local boards, and staffed by professionals dedicated to providing access to high quality health care for all Mainers. Community health centers are also an important factor in rural economic development; they provide local jobs, spur local spending, and support local health care access and availability - all of which are critical to robust communities.

As a result, Maine’s CHCs also work to find cross-sector opportunities to address these issues. This approach informs our 2023 state and federal policy priorities.


State Policy Initiatives

  • Continue expansive CHC education initiatives with key stakeholders.
  • Expand MPCA representation on coalitions and committees throughout the state to add CHC perspective to the important work of systems change.
  • Maintain leadership on state level care and payment transformation and re-design efforts.
  • Direct and inform state action on primary care investment and system improvements.
  • Support efforts to address Maine’s growing behavioral health crisis.
  • Advocate for 340B protections for CHCs through legislative action.
  • Advance research and legislation to create a statewide strategy to build the primary care workforce through recruitment and retention programs.
  • Support equity and access in primary care.
  • Lead efforts to ensure that social determinants of health (SDoH) are taken into consideration in the development of new policies and legislation throughout the state.

 

Federal Policy Initiatives

  • Support increases to primary care and public health investment.
  • Support research and legislation to benefit the primary care workforce.
  • Advocate for 340B protections for CHCs through legislative action.
  • Monitor the end of the public health emergency (PHE) and advocate for issues that will directly impact CHCs.
  • Support efforts to preserve and expand the Affordable Care Act where necessary.
  • Explore CHC focused federal modifications to the Good Faith Estimate requirements of the No Surprises Act.
  • Advocate for the expansion of licensure / billable providers and visit types to provide access to comprehensive health care.


Policy Contacts:
Darcy Shargo, Chief Executive Officer
dshargo@mepca.org

Bryan Wyatt, Chief Public Affairs Officer
bwyatt@mepca.org

Hannah Hudson, Director of Policy
hhudson@mepca.org