The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) serves as a public voice of community, migrant, homeless, and public housing health centers across the country. Health centers provide patients—nearly 75 percent of whom live in poverty—with primary care services that include mammograms, immunizations, and lab and dental services, as well as pharmacy, mental health, and substance abuse counseling. No two health centers are alike, but they all share a common mission of targeting local public health needs and are uniquely governed by a patient-majority governing board.
Health centers hold an unparalleled record in expanding access to cost-effective, quality healthcare. Medical expenses for patients who receive most of their care at a health center are 41 percent lower compared to costs for patients seen elsewhere. Health centers also save the healthcare system $9.9 billion to $17.6 billion each year by providing a medical home to people who are marginalized from primary care services and forced to rely on hospital emergency rooms for nonemergency care.
NACHC supports health centers through research, training, technical assistance, and advocacy outreach efforts. The association partners with key stakeholders to ensure that health centers have the necessary resources to deliver high-quality care to all patients seeking treatment.
“Our members are on the front lines of public health and see on a daily basis what happens when individuals don’t have access to affordable quality care,” said David M. Stevens, Director of the NACHC Quality Center. “Leaders in the healthcare sector have a responsibility to ensure the most equitable, patient-centered, and cost effective healthcare possible.”
NACHC offers a variety of tools and resources for members, including an online LiveLearning Center, Community Health Forum magazine, Community Health Center Television (CHC-TV), conferences, teleconferences, and training for healthcare professionals. Additionally, health centers are mobilizing across the country behind a plan called ACCESS for All America to expand their reach to 30 million people by 2015.
To learn more about NACHC, please www.nachc.com.