How health centers help improve access and health outcomes

Access to affordable, quality health care is a challenge for millions of people each year.¹ And for those who live in underserved areas, the challenge can be even greater due to a lack of nearby providers as well as barriers to transportation. These factors, along with other economic, environmental and social conditions, are why we cannot underestimate the value of federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). 

Community health centers currently serve 1 in 7 people across the country.² While most of the patients they serve are low income or on Medicaid, anyone can use a community health center, including children. These facilities provide a variety of care services such as:

• Primary care
• Dental
• Behavioral health
• Vision
• Social support

These services are provided regardless of a person’s ability to pay. Recent statistics show that community health centers serve over 6 million people without insurance and more than 20 million people who have a low income.³

A few recent examples of ways health centers are working to serve their communities include: 

• The launch of a new two-room, 37-foot mobile medical unit by Thundermist Health Center in Rhode Island. Called Rolling Thunder, the mobile unit visits various locations throughout the week, offering medical checkups, health screenings, behavioral health support and more. The mobile unit also has resources that can be used to help connect patients to programs such as SNAP or WIC.
  
• The implementation of care services that utilize both traditional Hawaiian healing methods and modern health care practices at the Waimānalo Health Center (WHC) on Oʻahu. WHC identifies patients that could benefit from this integrated care approach and offers them as a value-added benefit.
• Expanding the availability of the mobile medical program from Appalachian Mountain Health in North Carolina. By adding a second unit to go out into the community, Appalachian Mountain Health’s primary care providers can see double the number of patients they were able to see with one.
   

Creating healthier communities is a team effort. As FQHCs understand the unique needs of communities, they are often the foundation of that work. By providing care, wraparound services and social support to the people who need it most, FQHCs are helping create better health outcomes and healthier populations.