Protecting Access to Care: Why Peach Tree Is Speaking Out

At Peach Tree, our mission is rooted in one guiding principle: everyone in our community deserves access to high-quality, affordable healthcare.

As a community health center, we serve families, seniors, children, agricultural workers, and individuals who might otherwise go without care. For many of our patients, Peach Tree is their primary and often only source of healthcare.

That responsibility is something we take seriously. And it is why we are speaking out about a proposed statewide ballot measure that would significantly impact community health centers across California.

What the Proposed Measure Would Do

The ballot initiative would impose strict financial mandates on Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), including requirements that a fixed percentage of revenue be directed toward defined categories of “patient care” spending.

While the measure is framed as increasing transparency and accountability, it establishes rigid, one-size-fits-all spending rules for clinics that operate in vastly different communities with very different needs.

Community health centers are already heavily regulated at both the federal and state levels. We undergo regular audits, detailed financial reporting, and strict compliance oversight. As nonprofit organizations, our resources are reinvested directly into patient services and community benefit.

The concern is not about accountability but flexibility and sustainability.

Why Peach Tree Joined Protect Patients

That’s why Peach Tree has joined Protect Patients, a statewide coalition of more than 1,000 community health centers and clinic sites — representing over 2.4 million patients across California — that have come out in opposition to the proposed measure.

These providers agree that it could weaken the financial stability of community health centers and reduce access to care for vulnerable populations.

If enacted, the measure could:

• Divert an estimated $1.7 billion from community health centers statewide, reducing resources available for patient services, according to research from health care economists at the Berkeley Research Group (BRG)
• Limit clinics’ ability to fund essential support services such as care coordination, behavioral health integration, and outreach
• Increase financial strain on rural and safety-net providers operating on narrow margins
• Lead to reduced service capacity, longer wait times, and greater reliance on already overcrowded emergency departments
• Exclude funding for new clinics, potentially limiting expansion in communities most in need.

Our decision to join this effort is grounded in experience. Every day, we see how comprehensive, community-based care improves health outcomes and reduces strain on hospitals and emergency departments. We also understand how quickly access can be disrupted when funding structures change or operational discretion is limited.

Healthcare policy decisions should strengthen the system that patients rely on — not create uncertainty for the clinics that serve as their primary source of care.

Why Spending Mandates Are Problematic

Healthcare delivery is complex. A medical appointment is only one part of patient care.

Effective care also depends on:

• Care coordination and case management
• Translation and interpretation services
• Behavioral health integration
• Community outreach and education
• Transportation assistance
• Enrollment support for insurance coverage
• Technology systems that protect patient safety and data
• Workforce recruitment and retention

These are the practical components that determine whether a patient can schedule an appointment, understand their diagnosis, follow a treatment plan, and return for follow-up care.

Spending mandates that narrowly define “patient care” risk overlooking these functions. Community health centers must be able to direct resources based on the specific needs of the populations they serve.

In communities like ours, limiting that discretion could mean fewer support services, slower hiring, delayed improvements, and reduced capacity — all of which ultimately affect patient access.

The Broader Impact on Communities

When community health centers face operational strain, the impact extends beyond clinic walls.

If primary care access becomes constrained, patients often turn to emergency rooms for treatment. That increases healthcare costs statewide and adds pressure to already overcrowded hospital systems.

Community clinics are designed to reduce strain on emergency departments by providing preventive and ongoing care. Policies that unintentionally destabilize this model can have ripple effects across the entire healthcare system.

Our Focus Remains on Our Patients

No matter how policy discussions unfold, Peach Tree remains committed to serving our community.

We will continue providing comprehensive, compassionate care. We will continue investing in services that meet the real needs of our patients. And we will continue advocating for policies that protect and expand access to healthcare.

Our patients deserve stability, access, and thoughtful policy solutions — not rigid mandates that could compromise care.

We believe in strengthening community health centers so they can continue doing what they do best: caring for the people who rely on them every day. We encourage patients, partners, and community members to stay informed about policies that affect access to local healthcare services.

Learn more about the coalition’s efforts at ProtectPatientsCA.com.