WHAT IS A COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER?
For more than 40 years, HRSA-supported Health Centers have provided comprehensive, culturally competent, quality primary health care services to medically underserved communities and vulnerable populations.
CHCs are community-based & patient-directed organizations that serve populations with limited access to health care. These include low income populations, the uninsured, people living in rural and/or remote areas, people with limited English proficiency, migrant and seasonal farmworkers, individuals and families experiencing homelessness, and people living in public housing.
HEALTH CENTER PROGRAM FUNDAMENTALS Located or serve in a high need community Governed by a patient-majority, community board Provided comprehensive health care services that promote access to health care Provide services available to all (with fees adjusted based on ability to pay) Meet performance and accountability standards
TYPES OF HEALTH CENTERS Grant-Supported Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) • Community Health Centers - serving a variety of underserved populations and areas across the country. • Migrant Health Centers - serving migrant and seasonal agricultural workers. • Healthcare for the Homeless Program - reaching out to homeless individuals and families, providing primary care and substance abuse services. • Public Housing Primary Care Programs - focused on residents of public housing; located in or adjacent to communities they serve.
Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alikes
• Identified by HRSA and certified by CMS as meeting the definition of ‘health center,’ but do not receive grant funding under Section 330
Outpatient health programs/facilities operated by tribal or urban Indian organizations
WHO HEALTH CENTERS SERVE People of all ages. 32% of patients in 2012 were children; about 7% were 65+ People with and without health insurance. Around 36% of the 21.1 million patients seen at CHCs in 2012 were uninsured People of all races and ethnicities. 24% of patients were African-American; 34% were Hispanic/Latino; 38 % were Caucasian Special populations. 903k migrant/ seasonal farmworkers served in 2012; 1.1 million individuals experiencing homelessness Sources: Bureau of Primary Health Care, Health Resources and Services Administration, United States Department of Health and Human Services website: www.bphc.hrsa.gov/about. This publication was made possible by Grant Number U58CS06840 from Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA)/Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the HRSA/BPHC.
Oklahoma Primary Care Association
4300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Ste. 203 Oklahoma City, OK 73105 www.okpca.org