Today, elected officials and community leaders gathered at Neighborhood Health Center Mattina to celebrate the 60th annual National Health Center Week. Each day of the week has a specific focus, and this year, Monday was dedicated to staff appreciation. The organization used it as a platform to discuss the effects of the Trump administration's recent budget reconciliation bill on Medicaid and affordable health services in the community.
Rose Duhan, President and CEO of the Community Healthcare Association of New York State, said community health centers throughout the state could lose out on an estimated $300 million, because of reductions in health care spending by Washington. She said this would affect not just patients, but health care employees and providers as well.
“I am moved by the stories and the passion of the people who are touched by the health center and the essential care provided to the community”, Dugan said. “Patients who are seen for who they are and cared for as they are, providers for whom the work is not just a job but a passion and a purpose.”
In 2025 so far, Neighborhood Health Center has served 33,000 individuals throughout all six of its locations in Erie County. That includes mostly low-income families, people with disabilities and older adults. A report from Governor Hochul on Wednesday lists that a combined estimate of over 36,000 children would lose Medicaid and Child Health Plus services within Niagara and Erie counties.
Erie County Legislator Lawrence Dupree said Medicaid enables the health care system and supports patients.
“Medicaid is a lifeline. It's what makes it possible for someone to see a doctor before a condition becomes an emergency,” Dupre said.
“When we talk about supporting health centers and defending Medicaid, we're talking about saving lives, reducing health disparities, and building a healthier, stronger community for everyone. Cutting funding or limiting access doesn't just hurt individual patients; it puts entire communities at risk and drives out the cost in the long run.”
Neighborhood Health Center Mattina was founded 38 years ago, on the site of the shuttered Columbus Hospital, and is the largest and longest-standing health center in Buffalo.
