Celebrate National Health Center Week

Posted by Darlene Kaskie on July 27th, 2023 Posted in: Blog

What is a Community Health Center?

Health centers are community-based organizations that provide affordable, accessible, primary health care services to individuals and families, including people experiencing homelessness, agricultural workers, residents of public housing, and veterans. Health centers reduce health disparities by providing access to pharmacy, mental health, substance use disorder, and oral health services in areas where economic, geographic, or cultural barriers limit access to specialty providers. [1]

More than 1,400 health centers nationwide care for more than 30 million patients, regardless of income or insurance status. These non-profit Community Health Centers collectively save the healthcare system more than $24 billion annually in reduced emergency, hospital, and specialty care costs. [2]

Health centers that receive Health Center Program federal grant funding are obligated to comply with the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) rules and regulations. Health centers that do not receive federal funding, but comply with Health Center Program requirements, are called Health Center Program look-alikes. The majority of their operating funds come from Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance, patient fees, and other resources. [3]

Want to promote your Health Center?

Every August, the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) sponsors National Health Center Week (NHCW) to raise awareness of the nearly 15,000 community centers throughout the United States, U.S. Territories, and Freely Associated States.

This year’s campaign, The Roadmap to a Stronger America, draws attention daily to a specific focus of service and care:

• Sunday, 8/6: Public Health in Housing Day
• Monday, 8/7: Healthcare for the Homeless Day
• Tuesday, 8/8: Agricultural Worker Health Day
• Wednesday, 8/9: Patient Appreciation Day
• Thursday, 8/10: Stakeholder Appreciation Day
• Friday, 8/11: Health Center Staff Appreciation Day
• Saturday, 8/12: Children’s Health Day

If you are a Community Health Center, use the NACHC media center, store, Facebook, or the U.S. Census Bureau Stats for Stories to help bring attention to your organization by engaging with social media, print, radio, and local television outlets. You also can share your story with HRSA Health Center Stories for possible promotion on its website, in a HRSA newsletter, or on HRSA social media.

If you are not a Community Health Center, discover a National Health Center event and partner for health literacy or help your community members Find a Health Center to meet their healthcare needs.

Learn more about the history and growth of the Health Center Program and its important impact on the health of our nation’s most vulnerable populations.

1. What is Health Center (HRSA)

2. Paving the Way for Historic Investments in Health Centers (Advocates for Community Health)

3. Health Center Program Compliance Manual (HRSA)

ABOUT Darlene Kaskie
Darlene Kaskie, M.L.S. is Community Engagement Coordinator for Region 6 of the Network of the National Library of Medicine. She connects communities to training, engagement, and funding to improve access, use, and understanding of health information. Advancing health literacy and digital skills training helps people make informed decisions about their health. She earned her Consumer Health Information Specialization (CHIS) from the Medical Library Association.

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