Today the Department of Health and Human Services announced New Access Point grants that will expand care to nearly 650,000 people in 33 states and two U.S. Territories [see news release]. In making the announcement in North Carolina Secretary Burwell. said,“Health centers are keystones of the communities they serve. Today’s awards will enable more individuals and families …

Today’s blog post comes to us courtesy of our friends at  Piedmont Health Services in Carrboro, NC:  Saying that Melba Jones is part of the patient family at the Carrboro Community Health Center is an understatement.  The 83-year-old Chapel Hill resident has been a patient at the center as long as it has been there, and …

Our guest blogger today is Karen Scott, a Public Relations Specialist at A.T. Still University:   Arizona’s A.T. Still University of Health Sciences (ATSU), a longtime NACHC partner, is known for innovative curricula that prepare medical and dental students to work with underserved populations by embedding the students in Community Health Centers (CHCs) for large chunks of their …

We have written extensively on this blog about the cost-savings that Community Health  Centers produce for U.S. healthcare system ($24 billion a year, by the way).  Now comes a new report from the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers which shows that the Commonwealth’s 49 health centers generate annual savings of more than $1 billon for Massachusetts. The $1.1 …

Our guest blogger today is Ted Henson, Director of the Robert Wood Johnson Outreach and Enrollment Project, with a progress report on  health center patients and insurance. NACHC recently conducted a poll of enrollment assisters and staff at Community Health Centers about the second open enrollment (OE2) under the Affordable Care Act (which turns five …

The 2500 advocates who gathered at the 2015 NACHC Policy and Issues Forum have long gone home, but they are still burning up the phone lines and writing their leaders in Congress about the importance of fixing the health center funding cliff.   Even though the solution lies with lawmakers, the impact of the funding cliff — …

Nearly half of adults with health issues report problems with the coordination of their care in the United States.  A fragmented healthcare system and the reliance of patients on multiple providers have helped fuel the trend, which is also a factor in medical mistakes and patient dissatisfaction.  That is why the Patient-Centered Medical Home model (PCMH), where services …

The Million Hearts® initiative has recognized 30 public and private health care practices and systems as 2014 Million Hearts® Hypertension Control Champions, and Community Health Centers are among those being recognized.  The goal of the national effort is to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes by 2017.  The Million Hearts® Hypertension Control Challenge is a competitive challenge …

NACHC has launched a new online resource featuring the unique history and accomplishments of America’s Community Health Centers. The new site comes as health centers celebrate 50 years as a vital movement in expanding access to quality and affordable primary and preventive healthcare services to millions of uninsured and medically underserved people nationwide. Features include an interactive …

Once again, the importance of fixing the health center funding cliff has hit the presses.  First, in Washington State, we read the impassioned case that Teresita Batayola, CEO  of International Community Health Services, makes for preserving health center funding in her state.  She writes in today’s Bellevue Reporter: “The majority of our patients are our …