SALEM — U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton met with leaders from North Shore and Lynn community health centers and Eliot Community Human Services on Wednesday at Salem Family Health to discuss the impact of federal funding cuts and immigration policies on low-income populations.
Moulton, a Democrat representing Massachusetts’ 6th Congressional District, emphasized the urgency of the issue.
“This doesn’t just affect the patients; it affects everyone in the community,” he said. “No matter where you are, everyone will feel the effects of Trump and Musk and what they are doing illegally to cut funds.”
While Moulton labeled the actions as “illegal,” legal challenges to the funding cuts are ongoing, and no final ruling has been made on their constitutionality.
Maggie Brennan, president and CEO of North Shore Community Health, said federal grants fund nearly a quarter of their payroll, making cuts a major threat to their operations.
“Those are money losers,” Brennan said of school-based health centers. “They’re a community benefit that we really want to continue to maintain, but if we have to start making cuts…”
Brenda Rodrigues, chief executive officer at Lynn Community Health Center, said these centers serve thousands of students.
“At Lynn Community Health Center, we have 18 school based health centers serving around 3,700 students,” she said. “If we pull those resources out, our students will suffer. We’re preventing suicides, emergency room visits, and keeping hardworking families from missing work.”
A proposed $2 surcharge on prescriptions in Massachusetts threatens the 340B drug pricing program, which helps health centers buy discounted medications.
“That would totally erode the program,” Brennan said. “We’ve told the Executive Office of Health and Human Services this can’t happen. We’re hanging by a thread.”
She also warned that Medicaid cuts would destabilize the entire healthcare system.
“Hospitals’ finances are also gonna take a hit,” she said. “If Medicaid is cut, places will go under. The system is knit together.”
Health leaders said immigration enforcement is scaring patients away from medical appointments.
“It’s anxiety in the air that they’re breathing,” Brennan said. “We’ve had dental patients in serious pain not show up.”
She recalled a front desk worker calling a patient, only to hear: “Is this ICE calling me?”
Dr. Marion Winfrey, a longtime board member of North Shore Community Health, said the fear is keeping families from food pantries, medical visits, and mental health care.
“This administration is setting up a lost generation,” Winfrey said. “Kids are losing access to behavioral health services, food, and essential care.”
Ryan Ribeiro-Rodriguez, chief operating officer of North Shore Community Health, said public service loan forgiveness is crucial for hiring clinicians and nurses.
“If that goes away, we’re going to become less able to have staff here to serve,” he said.
Dr. Amer El-Haddad, chief medical officer at North Shore Community Health, warned that funding cuts could impact addiction treatment.
“At North Shore, about 10% of our patients have some sort of addiction, whether alcohol or opioids,” El Haddad said. “Our program is robust, but budget cuts put it at risk.”
He added that many patients needing addiction care are uninsured, forcing health centers to cover the costs.
“This is part of our ethos, our values — we’re going to do this. But at what cost?” he said. “If we had to make choices, what would we do? I don’t know.”
Moulton said his colleagues would push back against the cuts, but he acknowledged the political reality.
“Democrats are going to fight,” he said. “But I don’t want to be unrealistic and tell you everything’s going to be okay because I don’t think it is.”
He urged health leaders to focus on economic arguments and the impact on children, saying those points resonate more broadly.
“They claim to be saving money, but these cuts will cost more in the long run,” Moulton said. “And if they’re willing to attack kids, we need to make sure people know that.”
As the meeting concluded, he reaffirmed his support.
“We will continue to be strong advocates for all that you’re doing,” he said. “You can help us by giving us stories, data, and ammunition to fight more effectively.”
Health leaders said the future remains uncertain, but without action, the most vulnerable in the North Shore community will suffer the most.
