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WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), Vice Chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, today praised the passage of key health care bills during today’s Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee mark-up session. One particular bill, H.R.1343, the Health Centers Renewal Act of 2007, included H.R. 870, a measure championed by Ms. DeGette and the late Rep. Paul Gillmor (R-OH) that provides liability protections for employees and contractors who provide services in designated emergency areas. 

“This DeGette/Gillmor provision is a great public health initiative – it will help coordinate and facilitate rapid and efficient action of emergency health services by out-of-area practitioners when a public health emergency or natural disaster occurs,” said DeGette. “While I am grateful this important provision is moving forward, I am also saddened that my friend Mr. Gillmor is not here today to witness it.”

The DeGette/Gillmor provision is intended to address concerns that arose in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, in which gaps in health care services occurred because licensed, but out-of-area, health care professionals were not afforded the same federal liability protections for their services as local community health center workers.

“The Community Health Centers Renewal Act is a much needed bill that supports a vital component of our health care safety-net in this country. Community health centers provide comprehensive care to the low-income uninsured, and are the most efficient and cost-effective models of health care,” concluded DeGette.

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