America’s Health Centers To Convene in Orlando
The 2012 Community Health Institute (CHI) and EXPO, hosted by the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), is taking place in Orlando, Florida, this week (September 7-11). The conference brings together thousands of health center leaders, opinion-makers, policy experts, clinicians and consumers to exchange ideas on expanding the reach of affordable and accessible health care for more Americans as the landmark health care reform law’s insurance expansions take effect and new coverage options are available to more consumers.
Health centers have been the family doctor to over 20 million people in medically underserved rural and urban communities all over America. Heralded as a “gem” of the health care system in a recent article published in Forbes Magazine, health centers are local, nonprofit, community-directed and federally-supported organizations that reduce unnecessary visits to hospital emergency rooms and save $24 billion annually in health care costs. Health centers draw rare bipartisan support because of the cost-savings they generate while reducing health problems among the most economically challenged and chronically ill populations. They also go beyond the traditional scope of medicine to address the factors that create poor health, such as lack of nutrition, poverty, housing and mental health [Fact Sheet].
Speakers at the CHI conference include actress and playwright Anna Deavere Smith and a host of health care policy experts and thought leaders. The EXPO Hall at the CHI includes over 100 exhibiting companies offering solutions optimized for health centers and the patients they serve. Health center spokespeople are also available to the media upon request.
For a more detailed schedule of speakers, events and information, please visit the CHI conference page at this link.
The NACHC CHI conference will take place at The Peabody Orlando, located at 9801 International Drive, 32819.
You can also follow the NACHC CHI on Twitter at www.twitter.com/nachc. Look for the conference #chi12 hashtag.
