Community Health Centers
A Community Health Center is a nonprofit, community-owned health care organization serving low-income and medically under served communities.
For more than 40 years, the national network of Community Health Centers (also known as federally qualified health centers) has provided high-quality, affordable primary care and preventive services, and often provides on-site dental, pharmaceutical, behavioral health, and substance abuse services.
Community Health Centers are located in areas where care is needed but scarce. They improve access to care for millions of Americans and thousands of Alaskans regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay.
They’re also uniquely governed. Each CHC has a governing body, composed of volunteers from within the community. At least 51 percent of the board must be consumers of CHC services. The board works closely with the medical staff and administration of the health center.
Community Health Centers remove common barriers to care by serving communities that otherwise confront financial, geographic, language/cultural and other barriers, making them different from most private, office-based practices. CHCs are:
- Located in high-need areas identified by the federal and state government as having elevated poverty, higher than average infant mortality, and relatively few practicing health care providers;
- Open to all residents, regardless of insurance status, and provide reduced cost care based on ability to pay;
- Tailored to fit the special needs and priorities of local communities, and to provide services based on the advice of local residents, businesses, churches, and other organizations; and
- Offering services that help patients access health care, such as transportation, language translation, case management, health education, and chronic disease management.
How do Community Health Centers make a difference?
Community Health Centers are located in communities with high medical need, high rates of poverty, and few health care providers. Many of these communities also face financial, geographic, language, and cultural barriers.
Community Health Centers (CHCs):
- Provide comprehensive primary health care services to all Alaskans, regardless of insurance status, and CHCs offer slidingscale fees to patients without health care coverage;
- Focus on improving the health of the entire community as well as the health of individuals;
- Provide linguistically and culturally appropriate care to their community;
- Perform assessments of health needs within the community and continually work to improve access to services;
- Are accountable to the community by involving patients in governance of the center.
Research studies demonstrate that CHCs improve health by providing access to those patients least able to access quality primary care services. Additionally, community health is improved through preventative services and self-management programs, which lessen the impact of chronic disease and disability. CHCs reduce unnecessary emergency room use and reduce hospitalizations by providing care in an appropriate setting.
Compared to patients not seen in a CHC, patients using CHCs have:
- Lower total health care costs;
- Lower cost per ambulatory visit;
- Lower rates of hospital inpatient days; and
- Lower inpatient care costs.
Click here see the sites in Alaska served by Community Health Centers.
Click here for a list of CHCs in Alaska and their contact information?
