Today, Representative Sharice Davids announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded $2.6 million to Health Partnership Clinic to expand access to primary care, dental care, and behavioral health services in the greater Kansas City area. The clinic, whose leaders warned about the impact of recent Medicaid cuts, will use the grant to keep locations staffed, sustain patient services, and maintain affordable care for underserved families in Kansas’ Third District.
“Everyone should have access to quality and affordable healthcare, but many Kansans struggle to get the care they need due to skyrocketing costs, especially after last year’s extreme cuts to Medicaid ripped healthcare away from thousands of Kansans,” said Davids. “Health centers like this play a vital role in providing healthcare services to Kansans, no matter their income level or background. I’ll continue supporting all health centers in our community and working not just to protect, but also expand Medicaid to make healthcare more affordable for Kansas families.”
“We are grateful for the continuation of our funding,” said Amy Falk, CEO, Health Partnership Clinic. “This is instrumental in allowing us to continue our mission of providing access to quality care to the over 11,000 individuals we care for in Johnson, Miami, and Franklin counties.”
In 2024, Davids visited Health Partnership Clinic with Kansas Governor Laura Kelly to urge Medicaid expansion in Kansas. Last year, the clinic’s leadership also warned of the partisan Medicaid cuts, saying “these are not easy decisions.” That law, which includes the largest cuts to Medicaid in American history, will strip coverage from 92,937 Kansans, put six rural hospitals across Kansas at risk of closure, restrict reproductive health care, and increase Affordable Care Act premiums by $708 per year for Third District families.
Since coming to Congress, Davids has worked to make healthcare more affordable and accessible to all Kansans. She helped pass legislation that, for the first time ever, empowers Medicare to begin negotiating for lower prescription drug prices. The law also caps the cost of insulin at $35 for Medicare beneficiaries, and following Davids’ support for an extension of this cap to all insulin users, the top three insulin producers, who make up about 90 percent of the insulin market in the U.S., announced they’ll cut or cap the price of insulin.
Health Partnership Clinic operates five clinics in the Kansas Third District, including in Olathe, Shawnee Mission, Merriam, Ottawa, and Paola, and has expanded its telemedicine program to reach wider audiences. They offer primary care, dental, and behavioral and mental health services, and have partnered with the Olathe and Shawnee Mission school districts to identify students who do not have a regular medical or dental provider.