HARRISBURG, Pa. (April 29, 2026) – Sadler Health Center CEO Manal El Harrak joined Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers (PACHC) and legislative leaders at a rally in the Capitol Rotunda to underscore ongoing financial pressures facing federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and call for state funding support.
“Community health centers provide affordable, high-quality care – including medical, behavioral and dental care, vision, pharmaceutical and other critical health-enhancing services,” said El Harrak, who also serves as chair of PACHC’s board of directors. “We are the backbone of the primary care system, but the backbone is crumbling.”
FQHCs throughout the commonwealth continue to operate under significant financial strain. They are balancing the cost of caring for uninsured patients, inadequate Medicaid reimbursement, and the delivery of essential but unreimbursed services that help patients stay healthy and avoid higher emergency care costs.
These pressures are compounded by rising operational costs as well as reduced revenue from the 340B Drug Savings Program that was created to help organizations like community health centers stretch scarce resources.
“Pennsylvania’s community health centers are requesting $5 million in funding in the state budget (FY 2026-27) to help cover the cost of providing care to uninsured Pennsylvanians and other unfunded needs, such as community health workers, transportation, care coordination and technology expenses,” El Harrak said. “Pennsylvania is one of only four states in the country that doesn’t financially support this critical safety net, and we can no longer carry this burden alone.”
El Harrak noted that workforce capacity remains central to maintaining access to care. PACHC is working with state Sen. Michele Brooks on Senate Bill 614, which would establish a preceptorship program for community health centers in rural Pennsylvania to strengthen the pipeline of future providers.
More than 5,300 full-time staff are employed at FQHCs across Pennsylvania, reflecting the scale of the state’s community health center workforce. “We couldn’t do what we do – and collectively what we do is provide 3.6 million individual patient visits every year – without all the great people who work in Pennsylvania’s FQHCs and the funding necessary to keep our doors open and services available,” said El Harrak.
About Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers
The Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers (PACHC) is a statewide membership services organization representing community health centers – the largest primary care network in Pennsylvania and the nation – and other safety net providers that care for nearly 1 million Pennsylvanians at more than 475 delivery sites in rural and urban communities across the commonwealth. Visit pachc.org to learn more.