Federally Qualified Health Center

AltaMed Health Services is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC); a provider defined by the Medicare and Medicaid statutes, which receives grants under section 330 of the Public Health Service Act to provide care to underserved populations. There are 890 Community Health Centers operating multiple sites in the United States, together forming a network that is critical to the health care needs of more than 15 million individuals.

Community Health Centers provide regular, continuous quality care and preventive services to those who would otherwise go without. Individuals and families who use Community Health Centers are disproportionately low-income, publicly insured, and minority. It is estimated that while 12% of all Americans were at or below poverty in 2002, 90% of Community Health Center patients were low-income, and 70% had family incomes at or below poverty. To be sure, Community Health Centers form our nation’s health care safety net for the most vulnerable:

• 1 of every 5 are low-income children
• 1 of every 5 are low-income uninsured individuals
• 1 of every 8 are uninsured Americans
• 1 of every 9 are Medicaid beneficiaries
• 1 of every 7 are people of color

Moreover, Community Health Centers function as the largest system of care for Latinos in America. In fact:1 in 5 Latinos and 1 in 3 Spanish speakers use Community Health Centers to receive their health care.

Caring for these individuals and families is a social responsibility that makes economic sense. Community Health Centers work together in a collaborative effort to manage public disease and improve case management, and can do a lot with very little. The average cost of providing comprehensive care at Community Health Centers per patient per day is just $1.30. At such a modest price, there are healthier newborns in communities and lower minority health disparities . . . including disparities among those with chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and HIV/AIDS. Additionally, by providing regular care to the uninsured and low-income, Community Health Centers also prevent unnecessary hospitalizations and reduce visits to the emergency room. All this adds up to healthier communities and greater savings to our health care system.

The impressive record of success Community Health Centers have demonstrated is why the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) rates Community Health Centers as one of the federal government’s most successful programs. Investing in Community Health Centers makes good fiscal sense.