Chicago health conference to focus on health care reforms and expandng access to care for the uninsured and jobless during recession

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will be among top federal officials to address a national conference of Community, Migrant and Homeless Health Center representatives from across the country. The 2009 Community Health Institute (CHI) and EXPO hosted by the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), will assemble in Chicago, Illinois, on August 21-25^th. A key area of focus will be the ongoing debate on health reform and expanding access to care for growing numbers of jobless and uninsured during the economic downturn. America’s Health Centers are local, non-profit, community-directed and federally-supported organizations that provide health care to 20 million people in more than 7,500 communities in every state and territory. Health centers also play a critical role in the nation’s road to economic recovery by creating jobs and expanding access to health care thanks to the one-time investment from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

The CHI is an opportunity for thousands of health center administrators, clinicians and others to learn about the changing health care environment from top health officials and share perspectives from the front lines of public health. Also taking the stage as a guest speaker at the NACHC CHI will be businessman and entrepreneur Stedman Graham.

For a complete listing of events and highlights visit http://www.nachc.com/community-health-institute2.cfm.

Health center representatives will be available to talk to the media on issues such as health care reform and access to care.

The NACHC Community Health Institute and EXPO will take place August 21-25th, 2009 at the Chicago Hilton, 720 South Michigan Avenue. Members of the media must register in advance to attend.