What are Community Health Centers (CHC)?
Health centers are community-based organizations that offer essential primary and preventive care services to populations with limited access to health care. Services available can range from basic doctor’s visits, immunizations, health screenings, laboratory and radiology, pharmacy, dental, and mental health services. Typically services are provided on a sliding-scale based on an individual’s ability to pay. Health centers frequently extend beyond the center’s walls to better reach under-served populations.
CHCs were officially established in 1965, but have roots that trace back for centuries. Nearly 45 years later, more than 1200 health centers, including health centers specializing in health care to migrant farm workers, homeless persons, and public housing residents operated in over 7500 sites and provided health care to 17 million medically under-served patients throughout the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories.
For Colorado Community Health Network CHCs in Colorado CLICK HERE.
Who do they server?
Community Health Centers were created to care for folks that couldn’t afford health care otherwise. Today 71 percent are below 100 percent of the federal poverty guidelines and 92 percent are below 200 percent. Forty percent are uninsured while 35 percent are enrolled in Medicaid or SCHIP. Sixty percent are Hispanic, African-American or Native American and 35 percent are under the age of 20.
Where do they get their funding??
Funding for health centers comes from a variety of public and private sources. According to the National Association of Community Health Centers, health centers receive half of their funds from state and local sources, such as Medicaid, state and local funds, and to a small extent, the children’s health insurance program. The remainder comes from federal grants, private insurance, Medicare and patients themselves.
What do studies say about the effect of health centers in under-served communities?
According to the National Association of Community Health Centers, health centers provide care for 41 percent less than equivalent care provided elsewhere and save the health care system between $9.9 billion and $17.6 billion each year. Much of these savings come through reduced uncompensated care and less cost to Medicaid and SCHIP programs. Health centers also provide an boost in economically deprived neighborhoods, providing 143,000 jobs and generating $12.6 billion in economic activity. They predict that given increased funding, health centers could serve an additional 14 million people by 2015, saving the health care system $22.6 billion to $40.4 billion annually and generating an economic impact of $40.7 billion and providing the equivalent of 460,000 full-time jobs.
AND a new study was just released showing that Medicaid clients who use Colorado Community Health Centers (CHCs) are one-third less likely than Medicaid clients of private fee-for-service providers to have an emergency room visit, an inpatient hospitalization, or a preventable hospital admission. Click here for the complete study.
The History: Health Centers – Then and Now
Check out an interactive time line of the development of Community Health Centers since 1965. CLICK HERE
For more information about Community Health Centers in Colorado run by Colorado Community Health Network click here.
