Health Center Program Health centers are community-based and patient-directed organizations that deliver comprehensive, culturally competent, high-quality primary health care services. Health centers also often integrate access to pharmacy, mental health, substance use disorder, and oral health services in areas where economic, geographic, or cultural barriers limit access to affordable health care services. Health centers deliver care to the Nation's most vulnerable individuals and families, including people experiencing homelessness, agricultural workers, residents of public housing, and the Nation's veterans. Health centers are required to be located in or serve a high-need community (a “medically underserved” area or population) — and to make their services available to all patients on a sliding scale, with fees based on ability to pay. By law, health centers must be governed by community boards with majority patient representation. The community health center is a nonprofit health care agency concerned with health promotion and primary prevention goals for specific populations. Populations may include the homeless, minorities,
Medicaid recipients, migrant/seasonal farmworkers, persons infected with HIV/AIDS, the underinsured, and the uninsured. Community health centers are funded by the Bureau of Primary Health Care,
U.S. Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, via grant money and are located in designated medically underserved areas. The National Association for Community Health Centers and state associations for community health centers are advocates for the local centers. Community health centers are unique in that they employ community health care specialists (e.g., family practice physicians and advanced practice nurses). They provide accessible
primary care preventive health services. Their clients include the individual, family, and community; and they have a partnership relationship with the community. Nearly 1,400 health center grant recipients operate more than 12,000 community-based service delivery sites in every state and territory, giving geographically isolated or economically distressed people access to preventive and primary health care. Since 2001, through a major expansion initiative, HRSA has increased access to primary health care in 1,375 communities through new or expanded clinical sites. During this time, health centers increased their patient base by almost 60 percent, nearly doubled the number of people receiving oral health care, and tripled the number of clients who received mental health and addiction counseling services. Looking at national numbers, Health Centers serve: The National Hansen's Disease Program is the major source of direct patient care, clinician training and research in the field of Hansen's Disease and related leprous conditions. The Clinical Center states that it offers: The National Hansen's Disease (Leprosy) Research Program at the
Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine in Baton Rouge is a
research center that "conducts and supports research in the causes, diagnosis, prevention and cure of Hansen's disease and tuberculosis — aimed at the global elimination of Hansen's disease (leprosy)." The research program maintains the world's only
M. leprae-infected
armadillo colony. Twenty-three people work at the Research Program.
Models that Work Campaign The main objective of the Models That Work Campaign (MTW) is improving access to health care for vulnerable and underserved populations. The MTW Campaign is a collaboration between the Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) and 39 cosponsors including national associations, state and federal agencies, community-based organizations, foundations, and businesses. This initiative gives recognition and visibility to innovative and effective service delivery models. Models are selected based on a set of criteria that includes delivery of high quality primary care services, community participation, integration of health and social services, quantifiable outcomes, and replicability. Winners of the competition are showcased nationally and hired to provide training to other communities, to document and publish their strategies, and to provide onsite technical assistance on request. MTW staff at HRSA's Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) work in collaboration with cosponsors in national and local campaigns to publicize the innovative approaches used by MTW winners. On the federal level for example, HRSA's HIV/AIDS Bureau works with MTW staff and cosponsors to develop a series of community based workshops with MTW winners; sharing lessons and advising community leaders, clinicians, and administrators on strategies to improve primary care coordination for populations with high incidencesform, perhaps
incidence,
incidents, or
instances was intended of
HIV/AIDS. Innovative strategies are often identified and incorporated into federal technical assistance initiatives and local program design as well. == History ==