Health Centers Awareness

Articles

Aug 1

National Health Centers Week was created to call attention to the important work that Health Centers do all around the country. They provide services for people at all hours of the day and care for over 30 million patients at 11,000 sites nationwide. Health centers reduce costs by 24 billion dollars annually through specialty care costs. It’s important people realize what this service does and make sure it gets the support necessary to stay high functioning all around the country.

Focus Days

There are specific days where different topics are focused so people from the community can come together to learn about the topic at hand. Here are the dates for the focus days:

Sunday, August 7, 2022 — Public Housing Health Day
Monday, August 8, 2022 — Healthcare for the Homeless
Tuesday, August 9, 2022 — Agricultural Workers Health Day
Wednesday, August 10, 2022 — Patient Appreciation
Thursday, August 11, 2022 — Stakeholder Appreciation
Friday, August 12, 2022 — Health Center Staff Appreciation
Saturday, August 13, 2022 — Children’s Health Day

Public Health in Housing Day

The National Center for Health in Public Housing (NCHPH) exists to strengthen the Public Housing Primary Care system that exists in the U.S. Its goal is to “increase the capacity and improve the performance of HRSA-supported Health Center Programs and other safety net providers in meeting the specialized health care needs of public housing residents.” They have developed training and mentor programs. The Health Centers provided by the NCHPH provide care to nearly 5.2 million patients with their public housing. The NCHPH defines public housing as “Public housing means agency-developed, owned, or assisted low-income housing, including mixed-finance projects, but excludes housing units with no public housing agency support other than section 8 housing vouchers.”

Healthcare for the Homeless

The Healthcare for the Homeless program provides funding to meet the needs of those living without stable housing. Nearly 300 Health Centers receive funding from Healthcare for the Homeless. This program is essential for people without stable housing because they don’t receive the medical care they deserve. People without homes are more susceptible to disease through enduring climate changes and weather conditions. They are a particularly vulnerable population and are susceptible to vision issues, disability, and even early death. Healthcare for the Homeless programs provide care from trauma-informed professionals who provide the safety of a healing space while also giving them the autonomy to make the best decisions for themselves.

Agriculture Worker Health

2022 marks the 60th anniversary of the passage of the Migrant Health Act, which eventually turned into the Community Health Center Program. Community health centers serve approximately 20% of the estimated 4.5 million Agricultural Workers in the United States. The Ag Worker Access Campaign was launched in 2015 in partnership between the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) and the National Center for Farmworker Health (NCFH) to increase the number of Agricultural workers and their families served in health centers to 2 million. The Community members and the Migrant Health Program Grantees are ensuring that preventative and primary care is provided for patients who may otherwise not receive care.

Patient Appreciation

Community Health Centers legally must be comprised of 51% community members. The National Health Center defines a Community board member as: “individuals who live in the community served by the health center, are patients, and represent others who are served by the health center in terms of demographics such as race, ethnicity, and gender.” By making sure the community members represent their needs, they ensure they are getting the care they need. Making sure the Community Board members are recognized and appreciated is a gift for everyone involved!

Stakeholder Appreciation

Bipartisan support makes it possible for the Health Centers to receive the care they need to get Healthcare to more people. Enhance your National Health Center Week celebrations by engaging legislators and legislative staff. There are many different ways to recognize legislators and staff:

Submit a Letter to the Editor (LTE) or Opinion Editorial to Your Local Media Outlet: use the NHCW media templates to submit a letter to the editor or opinion editorial addressing your policymakers or their staff. In your letters, you can share why their support is beneficial to the programming.
Health Center Tours with Legislators or Legislative staff: invite legislators to tour your Health Center to see firsthand what good the center is providing in your community.
Recognize your Legislative Contacts with an Official Certificate from the Health Center Advocacy Network: download your own certificate from healthcenterweek.org

Health Center Staff Appreciation

This day celebrates the amazing Health Center staff and their hard work throughout the year. Health Center Staff Appreciation Day honors both staff and volunteers who have dedicated so much of their time to helping others.

Children’s Health

Over 8 million children nationwide get their primary health care from a Community Health Center. Health centers provide all sorts of activities to young ones as they start the school year. Book drives, wellness checks, and more, Health Centers provide lots of events that encourage youth to do well in school too.