IPHCA Honors Dr. King's Lasting Legacy

SPRINGFIELD -- At this difficult time in our country's history, we are taking time today to acknowledge the legacy of peace and understanding from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Illinois Primary Health Care Association issued this statement noting the work its community health centers are doing around Illinois to support Dr. King's vision:

Today, the Illinois Primary Health Care Association celebrates the birthday of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and all he bestowed to us as a thought leader and civil rights advocate. Amid historic social unrest, a lethal global pandemic, and a national reckoning with systemic racism and white supremacy, it is clear we still have much to learn from Dr. King as we work to alleviate vicious, long-standing racial disparities and heal the wounds of division.

During his life, Dr. King championed many causes including racial equality, righteous justice, and freedom for all. Though the pursuit for a more perfect union continues to be a work in progress, Dr. King's vision and activism undoubtedly moved us further down the path.

King once said, “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”

IPHCA is proud to play a role in dismantling systems that perpetuate inequality, and to be a voice for equipping providers with adequate resources to deliver the comprehensive, integrated care needed to empower their patients to live well and thrive. Community health centers are an outgrowth of the enduring legacy of the Civil Rights Era that King helped to shepherd. For decades, community health centers have been frontline health care providers in underserved areas, including communities of color, immigrant communities, and low-income communities. Through a vast network of nearly 400 sites across Illinois, our member health centers ensure access to high-quality, affordable care for nearly 1.5 million residents each year -- regardless of ability to pay, insurance coverage, or zip code.

As we take time to reflect on Dr. King's contributions to society and the lessons he left behind, the IPHCA offices are closed today, Monday, January 18, 2021. We will resume operations on Tuesday, January 19, 2021.

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ABOUT IL PRIMARY HEALTH CARE ASSOCIATIONIPHCA is a health care trade association representing Illinois’ 51 community health centers that collectively serve more than 1.4 million patients at 390 sites statewide. Community health centers provide accessible, comprehensive and integrated services and are known for providing high quality outcomes while substantially reducing health care expenditures, saving the state of Illinois nearly $2 billion on an annual basis according to an independent economic analysis.