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CHC National Network

CHC National Network

The Community Health Center of Benton and Linn Counties is part of a ‘family’ of Health Centers across the United States

Community Health Centers’ Mission

The nation’s network of Community, Migrant, Homeless, and Public Housing Health Centers provides high quality, cost-effective, primary and preventive health care to the medically underserved, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.  Over 1,200 health centers serve over 9,000 urban and rural communities in every state and territory.

Community Health Centers: Proven Record

Also known as Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC), Health Centers serve over 20 million low-income and medically underserved patients, including 1 in 5 low-income, uninsured individuals and 1 in 7 Medicaid beneficiaries.

Research demonstrates that health centers deliver a significant return on investment – in terms of system-wide savings, economic benefits, and health improvements. Health Centers provide services not typically furnished in other primary care settings, such as dental care, behavioral health, pharmacy, and other services that remove persistent barriers to care, such as transportation, case management, interpretation, and home visits.  These additional services are critical given their patient population.  Compared to other providers, health centers disproportionately serve more chronically ill, uninsured, publicly insured, and minority patients, as well as those in poor health.

Health centers play a major role in addressing racial and ethnic health disparities.  They are successful where other providers are not because they provide a multi-disciplinary approach to care that combines biomedical, psychological, and social approaches to care for patients, families, and entire communities.

Community Health Center Are Cost Effective

Numerous studies conclude that health centers’ proficient provision of preventive and primary care services reduces unnecessary, avoidable, and wasteful use of health resources.  Health centers are associated with reducing preventable hospitalizations and Emergency Department (ED) use, as well as reducing the need for more expensive specialty care services.

Nationally, patients who rely on health centers have significantly lower expenditures per person per year compared to non-health center users.  Health centers save the health care system over $24 billion annually.

Community Health Centers Support Economic Growth, Create Jobs    

Investment in health centers have produce an economic “ripple effect” in their communities, creating jobs and fueling additional economic activity through the purchase of goods and services from local businesses.  As federal funding for the Health Center Program grows research demonstrates that so will the amount health centers generate in local economic activity and in the number of jobs they produce.

To learn more about Community Health Centers nationally . . .

Visit the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC)

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