Franconia, N.H. – Today, Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander visited Ammonoosuc Community Health Services (ACHS) in Franconia and met with leadership and staff to discuss the pressures facing our rural health centers and the reasons why the facility is scheduled to close by the end of the year. During the visit, Goodlander spoke with providers about how Congress can be a partner in ensuring reliable access to healthcare for our rural communities.
See photos from the visit here.
“The extraordinary team of community healthcare providers here at ACHS-Franconia has built a lifeline of quality care for people across our North Country. But as Republicans make the biggest cuts to healthcare in American history, this clinic and the Granite Staters who rely on it are paying the tragic and needless price for these cuts,” said Congresswoman Goodlander. “The GOP’s Big, Brutal Bill is forcing this clinic to shut down, and this should outrage everyone in our state. I am proud to stand with our partners across the North Country in fighting back and protecting the healthcare that our people need and deserve.”
“After a decade of economic erosion and disinvestment in our mission and the patients we serve, the BBB culminates an economic impact of $1.8M ($11M budget),” said Ed Shanshala, chief executive officer of Ammonoosuc Community Health Services, Inc. “This forced us to close the ACHS Franconia location without layoffs or elimination of patient services. Unfortunately, New Hampshire should expect further decrease in access to critical healthcare services, especially in the North Country.”
ACHS is a Federally Qualified Health Center that provides affordable healthcare to over 30,000 patients across five – soon to be four – sites in Northern New Hampshire. ACHS offers medical and behavioral care for both children and adults, and it does not deny services based on ability to pay.
Congresswoman Goodlander, a member of the Community Health Centers Caucus and the Bipartisan Rural Health Caucus, has dedicated her life to fighting for a fair deal. She was a hard no on the GOP’s Big, Brutal Budget, and testified in front of the House Rules Committee in opposition to the biggest cuts to healthcare in American history and in support of four amendments she offered to the legislation. Since taking the oath of office, she has met with health care workers and patients from across New Hampshire and heard firsthand about how this legislation will harm real people.
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