What is a Health Center?

America’s community health centers provide access to basic health care services in the communities that need them most. Their doors are open to everyone – families and children, farmworkers and the homeless, and those who are uninsured, on Medicaid, or have private insurance. Learn more about health centers and what they stand for by watching this video.

What makes health centers so unique?

• They provide much needed primary and preventive health care services. Health centers are not only the provider of choice for millions of patients, they are cost-effective. Investing in health centers has been shown to save the health care system nearly $24 billion annually, yet health centers still perform just as well or better than other health care providers on 94% of quality measures.

• They are not-for-profit organizations. Each of America’s over 1,400 health center organizations is driven by the mission to improve the health and well-being of the communities they serve.

• They are consumer driven and patient driven. Health center boards of directors must have over 50% patient representation. Because major decisions for the health center are made primarily by patients, health centers are held accountable to the unique needs of their communities.

• They serve in areas that need them most. Health centers are located in “Medically Underserved Areas”, meaning they open in areas with few doctors and other medical providers or areas where many community members are experiencing poverty.