A surge of stimulus funds will help community health centers across the nation meet many immediate needs. But perhaps the greatest potential of the attention the clinics are gaining from the funds will be an acknowledgment of what those centers have been doing all along.

Community health centers have been filling in the blanks on health care for a long time. They are doing some of the noblest work in the country, providing access where care is otherwise lacking and providing direct services to people who would otherwise go without it because of cost. ...

The recent economic stimulus plan will provide $6.5 million for community health centers in Tennessee. ...

That means keeping or adding jobs at those centers, and employment is one of the driving forces behind the stimulus package. But while the spotlight is currently on stimulus money spurred by President Barack Obama, it’s important to remember that former President George W. Bush had made great strides in increasing funding for community health centers while in office. ...

It is nice to see that community health centers are getting more of their due with money from the Obama stimulus plan. But just as communities should be glad to see those clinics benefit from those funds, there should be a concerted effort to maintain attention to the clinics long after the stimulus plan has run its course. Their needs — and their desire to serve — won’t subside when the economic crisis does.