Rep. Lee, Sen. Rosen Applaud Their Bipartisan, Bicameral MOBILE Health Care Act Being Signed into Law

LAS VEGAS — Today, Congresswoman Susie Lee and U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Susan Collins (R-ME) applauded news that President Biden has signed their bipartisan, bicameral Maximizing Outcomes through Better Investments in Lifesaving Equipment for (MOBILE) Health Care Act into law. Rep. Lee introduced this bipartisan legislation in the House alongside Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), Rep. Raul Ruiz, M.D. (D-CA), and Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC). The legislation provides Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) with the flexibility to use their federal funds to establish new, mobile health care delivery sites to increase access to health care services in rural and underserved communities.

"I'm so proud that my bipartisan MOBILE Health Care Act is now law," said Rep. Susie Lee. "This legislation is a common-sense step to get health care to more Nevadans and Americans across this country. For too many people who live in underserved and rural areas, it is nearly impossible to physically get to a doctor's office. By allowing Federally Qualified Health Centers to acquire and dispatch more mobile clinics, this legislation will help bring essential health care to people where they are. I'm going to keep fighting to get all Nevadans access to the health care they deserve."

"I am proud to have worked in a bipartisan way to draft and pass this critical legislation to increase access to quality health care across Nevada and our country," said Senator Rosen. "The MOBILE Health Care law will make it easier for community health centers to take their care on the go with mobile clinics, bringing much needed care directly to underserved and rural communities."

"Community health centers in Maine and across the country play an indispensable role in ensuring that rural and underserved communities receive affordable and quality health care," said Senator Collins. "The MOBILE Health Care Act will help community health centers further expand their reach to the most rural parts of our state by giving them greater flexibility and allowing them to bring clinics even closer to the patients they serve."

"The Nevada Primary Care Association is comprised of the state's Community Health Centers which provide integrated primary care, behavioral health and dental care to more than 111,000 Nevadans annually," said Nancy Bowen, CEO of Nevada Primary Care. "We are profoundly grateful to Congresswoman Susie Lee and Senator Rosen for introducing, passing, and seeing enacted the MOBILE Health Care Act to make it easier for our health centers to finance mobile health units. These mobile units may offer primary or dental care or provide specialty services such as mammography to sparsely populated rural areas or to underserved populations in our urban centers. This can include visiting homeless resource centers or senior housing where residents have limited ability to travel for care. Some of Nevada's rural areas cannot support permanent medical facilities, making this bill revolutionary for the health centers seeking to provide these communities with health care."

"Nevada Health Centers lauds the passage of the MOBILE Health Care Act, which gives Federally Qualified Health Centers like ours the ability to enhance and expand mobile services in the communities we serve," said Walter Davis, CEO of Nevada Health Centers. "Through programs like our Mammovan, which provides screening mammography to women throughout Nevada, or our Nevada Children's Health Project, which provides mobile medical care and support to children and youth in southern Nevada, the MOBILE Health Care Act enables the added flexibility to use our government funding to support mobile units that are making a huge difference in our state. Thanks to Congresswoman Lee, Senator Rosen, and the Nevada Primary Care Association for championing this important legislation."

"NACHC and Community Health Centers across the country celebrate the signing of the bipartisan MOBILE Health Care Act by President Joe Biden. I want to thank Representative Susie Lee, Representative Richard Hudson, Representative Raul Ruiz, and Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler for pushing this important bill across the finish line," said Rachel Gonzales-Hanson, Interim President and CEO of the National Association of Community Health Centers. "While nearly half of health centers are located in rural and frontier communities, we know there is still unmet need. The expansion of mobile clinics will enable health centers that serve these communities to reach more patients and provide critical services to treat chronic illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and provide a host of services including dental, behavioral health, and depression screenings. In fact, mobile clinics have been essential in the fight against COVID. Over the last six months, health centers have held nearly 7,000 mobile COVID events to test and vaccinate patients."

Rep. Lee has spearheaded legislation to expand access to health care in communities across Nevada. In addition to the MOBILE Health Care Act, Rep. Lee also introduced bipartisan legislation to bring more specialists to health centers in rural and underserved areas and bipartisan legislation to address Nevada's doctor shortage by expanding medical residency slots in the state. Earlier this year, Rep. Lee's work to expand access to health care was recognized nationally when she received the Distinguished Community Health Champion Award from the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) for her advocacy for community health centers in Nevada and across the country.

For more information on the MOBILE Health Care Act, click here.

The MOBILE Health Care Act is endorsed by the following organizations:
• National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC)
• National Rural Health Association (NRHA)
• National Health Care for the Homeless Council (NHCHC)
• American Dental Association
• Nevada Primary Care Association (NPCA)
• Nevada Health Centers
• First Person Care Clinic (Nevada)
• North Carolina Community Health Center Association
• Cabarrus Rowan Community Health Center (North Carolina)
• Valley View Health Center (Washington)
• Cowlitz Family Health Center (Washington)
• The Problem Solvers Caucus
• The New Democratic Coalition

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