RED BANK, N.J. – This weekend, Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) toured Parker Family Health Center in Red Bank, NJ before convening a discussion with multiple members of the organization to talk about the disastrous ways the Trump Administration’s actions will harm their ability to help low-income individuals and families, and the Monmouth Community at-large. During the discussion, Senator Kim heard from volunteer physicians and clinic team members about the critical services they provide, and how government funding translates into more services and opportunities for their patients.   

“The future of organizations like Parker Family Health Center are at risk because of the extreme proposals and cuts that the Trump Administration is putting forward; this is just another example of Trump prioritizing the wealthy over Americans who need help the most,” said Senator Andy Kim. “It was astounding to hear about the devastating realities organizations like this will face as a result of President Trump, but I will take these conversations back with me to Washington to fight for our most vulnerable back at home.” 

Parker Family Health Center is one of only five free clinics in the state of New Jersey and serves as a lifeline for so many in Monmouth County by offering free healthcare to low-income families and residents who don’t have access to medical care. They offer free vaccines and free healthcare screenings, in addition to other medical services. They utilize federal funding like Medicaid to help their patients and will be impacted by President Trump’s proposed cuts. 

As of August 2024, almost two million New Jersey residents rely on Medicaid, and would be impacted by the proposed cuts put forward recently by the Trump Administration. In addition to those residents, federal funding cuts to programs like Medicaid would impact all 136 24-hour Community Health Centers across the state. In lieu of helping low-income Americans and those who rely on federal funding, President Trump’s cuts would instead offer over $30,000 in tax cuts for the top 1% and would instead offer a tax cut of over $300,000 for the top .1%, or those making over $3.5 million a year.  

During his visit, Senator Kim was joined by the following:  

• Suzy Dyer, Esq., Executive Director, Parker Family Health Center 
• Jeanne Wagner, Grant Writer, Parker Family Health Center 
• Ana Taylor, Facilities Manager, Parker Family Health Center 
• Dr. Debra Harmady, Pediatrician, Parker Family Health Center 
• Dr. Vivian Kominos, Cardiologist, Parker Family Health Center 

“We need to protect our children and our community. Without the federal government providing funding, I would not be able to do this work,” said Dr. Vivian Kominos, Volunteer Cardiologist at Parker Family Health Center. 

“The non-profit community, everybody is saying the same thing: non-profits will be hurt by this because the grant makers, private donors can’t make up the gap in the loss of federal funding,”said Suzy Dyer, Executive Director, Parker Family Health Center. “That’s going to be a challenge for everybody in the non-profit sector. If non-profits start to go out, who is going to provide these services?”

Senator Kim is a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP); Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; and the Special Committee on Aging. Learn more about Senator Kim’s service on behalf of New Jersey and find information on how to stay up to date with his office here. 

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