Peter Shin, Chief Science Officer, NACHC Dr. John W. Hatch Center for Science
Alan Mitchell, Executive Director, HealthEfficient
Brandon Hamilton, Chief Executive Officer, Relevant
Community Health Centers (CHCs) are community-governed primary care clinics that provide high-quality primary care to all patients, regardless of ability to pay. They serve federally designated areas or populations and provide comprehensive services including primary care, dental care, vision services, mental health and substance use disorder services, and care coordination.
CHCs reach far more people than annual federal reporting alone suggests. Based on new data analysis from HealthEfficient, a health center-controlled network (HCCN) supporting approximately 60 CHCs, about 52 million people are connected to CHCs over time. This means up to one in seven people rely on CHCs for their primary care, up from one in 10 served based on single year reporting.
This finding aligns with prior estimates from the Weitzman Institute, which also estimated that up to 52 million unique patients received care from CHCs over a three-year period (2020-2023). Together, these independent analyses show that annual reporting substantially understates the full population served.
Annual Federal Reporting Captures Only One Year of Care
Official federal data show that CHC served 32.4 million patients in 2024. The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) reports nearly 34 million patients served because it includes 153 look-alike health centers (LALs) alongside the 1,359 CHC federal grantees. Look-alike health centers meet all federal CHC grant requirements but do not receive federal CHC funding.
These annual counts reflect patients seen during a single year, but primary care relationships often extend beyond one reporting period. Many patients receive care intermittently, return after gaps, or cycle between coverage types such as Medicaid, commercial coverage, or period without insurance. Annual counts capture only part of the population that relies on CHCs over time.
CHC Network Data Confirm Greater Reach of CHCs
HealthEfficient, through aggregation by Relevant, analyzed patient populations across multiple years using shared data from participating CHCs. Their analysis found that the total number of unique patients connected to CHCs between 2023-2025 is approximately 1.5 times larger than the number seen in a single year, mirroring estimates from the Weitzman Institute. Applying this relationship to the 34.9 million patients reported annually results in an estimated reach of approximately 52 million people. This captures the full scope of CHCs’ role in providing comprehensive primary care across changing life circumstances, insurance transitions, and periods of increased need.
The following figure illustrates the difference between annual federal reporting of only CHC grantees, NACHC reporting that includes look-alikes health centers, and multi-year estimates from the Weitzman Institute and HealthEfficient-Relevant. It shows how annual counts reflect only part of the population connected to CHCs over time.
CHCs are a National Primary Care Foundation
Annual federal reporting remains essential for tracking year-to-year service delivery. Longitudinal analysis provides a clearer understanding of a broader population whose care depends on CHCs. Together, these perspectives show that CHCs serve not just tens of millions each year, but approximately 52 million people over time. CHCs are a foundational part of the US health care system, providing critical primary care to those at the highest risk of poor health outcomes.