There are a lot of headlines to count so far on just day TWO of National Health Center Week (NHCW) but today’s main headline is that the Department of Health and Human Services has announced $169 million for 226 New Access Points.  These new health center sites are projected to increase access to health care services for over 1.2 million patients. These awards build on the $101 million awarded to 164 new health center sites in May 2015, according to the press release just posted moments ago.  The HHS announcement comes on the heels of a Presidential Proclamation  from the  White House honoring NHCW:

“An idea born from the fight for justice and civil rights, health centers — as well as the committed professionals who support them — carry forward the ideals fought for at a transformational time in our Nation’s history… let us recognize the vital role health centers across our country play in carrying us toward greater health for our people,” said President Barack Obama.

HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell also joined in the high praise of health centers with a blog post that also noted health centers’ five decade legacy of providing high quality care:

“Health centers meet some of the highest standards for coordinated, quality care. In fact, today over 69 percent of health centers are recognized by national organizations as patient-centered medical homes, the most promising model of high-quality primary care. The Health Center Program’s focus on quality has done so much good in areas of our country where access to care is limited. Despite treating a sicker, poorer and more diverse population than other health care providers, health centers outperform national averages in chronic disease management, preventive services and perinatal measures.”

And speaking of quality care, NACHC also issued new data this week that shows more Americans than ever are getting quality care at over 24 million patients served nationwide (or 1 in 14 Americans). That also includes a growing number of veterans — 300,000. Also, check out the new NHCW infographic about health centers we just released, “Paving The Road to Good Health.”

Stay tuned to this blog as we keep you informed about the latest NHCW events.