（English and Chinese  中文译本在下方）

Philadelphia’s City Health Centers offer very low-cost health care to all residents of the city but are overcrowded, and we are deeply concerned about the severe shortage of affordable primary care for residents of Lower Northeast Philadelphia.

Health Center 10 on 2330 Cottman Avenue is the only City Public Health Center here. It serves over 13.5 thousand patients and provides more than 66 thousand visits annually. New patients often wait for an appointment for 6 to 12 months. This is not just an inconvenience; it's a serious barrier to accessing necessary medical care.

The Philadelphia Unemployment Project reports that 30% of workers who lose their jobs become uninsured as workers lose their insurance and cannot afford COBRA. In addition, 12% of employed workers were also uninsured. City Public Health Centers make health care available to uninsured workers and their families. Nearly 50% of Health Center 10 patients are uninsured. 

Northeast Philadelphia has a population of approximately 500,000 people. But with only one public health center currently serving this population, it's clear that there is an urgent need for additional healthcare facilities.

The City of Philadelphia is heading in the right direction in budgeting for the two new health centers for the Northeast:

One at Frankford Transportation Center, which can serve 16,000 patient visits a year, 

and one at the Friends Hospital site, which can serve about 30,000 patient visits a year. 

The development of these new health centers is not just necessary but crucial for our community's well-being. It will significantly reduce waiting times and provide much-needed access to affordable healthcare.  

Every day counts when it comes down to people's lives and well-being. Every day that passes without adequate healthcare access is a risk to our families, friends, and neighbors. 

Therefore, we strongly urge elected officials and relevant authorities to expedite the construction of these new health centers without undue delays or barriers, letting it become a reality and bringing health and happiness to our community! 

中文译本：

请愿书标题：请尽快落实费城东北区新医疗中心的成立

费城东北区市医疗中心为费城东北区所有居民提供基本的医疗保健服务，但供不应求，我们对费城东北区的居民严重缺乏负担得起的基本医疗保健深感担忧。

位于 2330 Cottman Ave. 的 10 号医疗中心 (HC10) 是费城东北区唯一的市医疗中心。 它为 13 万 6千多 名患者提供服务，每年约提供超过 66,800 就诊人次，并且该数字随着人口的增长而不断增加。 新患者等待预约的时间往往长达 6 至 12 个月。 这不仅给患者带来不便,还严重阻碍了居民获得必要医疗服务。

据费城失业项目报告称，有30% 的失业人口没有医疗保险，因为他们负担不起 COBRA的费用。 此外，还有12%的就业工人没有医保。 而市公共医疗中心都给没有医保的费城居民及其家人提供低费医疗服务。10 号医疗中心 有近 一半的 患者没有医保.

费城东北区有大约 50 多万居民。 但目前只有一个市医疗中心为该区居民服务，费城东北区显然迫切地需要更多的医疗设施。

其实，费城市正朝着正确的方向前进,已经通过在东北区建立两个新医疗中心的预算经费.   

一个位于法兰克福交通中心，每年可接待约 16,000就诊人次，另一个位于友谊医院，每年可接待约 30,000 就诊人次。这些新医疗中心的发展对我们社区的福祉至关重要。它将大大缩短新患者预约时间，并为费城东北区居民提供急需并负担得起的医疗服务。我们必须确保它们尽快落实。

人命关天,没有负担得起和及时的医疗服务置我们的家庭、亲友于风险中。我们督促民选官员和相关部门加快落实这两个新医疗中心的建设，给费城东北区弱势群体的家庭带来健康和幸福。  

东北费城公益协会， 微信： PEARL6108  

More information in the following link:

Contact your PHILADELPHIA CITY COUNCIL member:  https://phlcouncil.com/stay-connected-philadelphia-city-council/

New City health center planned on Friends Hospital campus in 2025 to help meet longstanding needs in Northeast Philadelphia: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LPR-AlWddQGj6h2PiMVGtsGOMNdM0O4O/view?usp=sharing

We need the new City Health Centers in the Lower Northeast …https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hTM3VUJZ7rJhFpiOlJQOu-P3MNJttAEJ/view?usp=sharing

Northeast Philadelphia on Wikipedia:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1v10v8RRDfr7xT_WHZWDHK6tsC48L9Bl-/view?usp=sharing

(This petition is created by the Northeast Philadelphia Chinese Association,  www.NEPCA.US; Contact: Pearl.Huynh@gmail.com; 267-225-4628;  No need for permission to share the content;  1/8/2024)