Health Centers Unveil New Report and Plan to Serve More Patients
Washington, D.C. With 56 million people struggling without access to primary care doctors and a medical home, America’s Community Health Centers have proposed an aggressive new plan to bridge the provider gap. ACCESS for All America calls for continued investment and partnership in America’s Health Centers to strengthen health center infrastructure and provide the necessary tools for growth so that health centers can serve 30 million people by the year 2015. Health centers currently serve 17 million uninsured and medically underserved people nationwide. “As we approach the national election, it’s critical that current and future decision-makers understand that, for health reform to succeed, we will need to ensure that everyone in America has both affordable insurance coverage and a regular source of primary health care – a medical home,” said Anita Monoian, President and CEO of Yakima Neighborhood Health Services in Washington. “The goal of the ACCESS for All America Plan is to bring affordable health services to more underserved communities at a time when the numbers of underserved and uninsured are on the rise.”
A new report released by the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), “ACCESS CAPITAL: New Opportunities for Meeting America’s Primary Care Infrastructure Needs” documents that health centers will require $10.5 billion in financing to achieve the goals of the ACCESS plan. Low-cost and streamlined financing to help health centers construct new facilities, renovate, as well as purchase health information technology, will be critical to support expansion and capacity building efforts. It was reported that many health centers operate out of small and often donated old buildings not originally designed for health care delivery. About half of the health center sites have an average age of 36 years, with some operating out of buildings that are up to 110 years old. Nearly all (94%) of surveyed health centers report that they must rebuild or renovate their facilities to either continue or expand care in the next 5 years alone. The NACHC report released today was developed in collaboration with Capital Link, a national nonprofit organization that assists health centers in obtaining financing for building and equipment projects; and Community Health Ventures, a business affiliate of NACHC.
Currently, there are 6,300 health center delivery sites in urban and rural communities in all 50 states. They save the health care system up to $17.6 billion a year and have drawn top ratings as one of the most highly effective federal programs by the budget conscious White House Office of Management and Budget. By doubling the number of patients served as projected in the ACCESS plan, health centers can generate savings as high as $40 billion in the next 8 years.
“My health center is a proud supporter of the NACHC ACCESS for All America plan” said Gary Wiltz, MD, Executive Director of Teche Action Clinic in Franklin, Louisiana. “With growing demand for primary care services and a shrinking pool of doctors to care for the underserved, the ACCESS plan provides a critical roadmap for strengthening the health center foundation and meeting the critical shortage of the nation’s primary care workforce. We are committed to doing our part in seeing this plan become a reality.”
For more information about the ACCESS for All America plan and the new NACHC/Capital Link/Community Health Ventures report visit the ACCESS for All America page.