NACHC sent a letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from President and CEO Kyu Rhee, MD, MPP, at the recommendation of NACHC’s Veterans Task Force. The letter shared how Community Health Centers (CHCs) are uniquely positioned to help the VA fulfill its mission to honor America’s veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being. It is both a moral imperative and a national priority that veterans receive timely, high-quality care when and where they need it, and CHCs proudly serve more than 428,000 known veterans. Veterans are among the fastest-growing patient populations at CHCs, with the number of veterans served increasing by 11 percent over the past five years. This growth has been particularly rapid in rural areas, where access to VA facilities is limited, and the need for community-based care is greatest.
The letter underscores that CHCs are committed, mission-aligned partners with a track record of success in treating veteran patients’ unique health and social service needs:
“As you know, Veterans experience disproportionately higher rates of mental health disorders, substance use disorders, post-traumatic stress, and traumatic brain injury compared to their civilian counterparts. Additionally, a recent study found that 8 million veterans, or about two in five of all veterans, describe their oral health as fair or poor. CHCs are experienced in successfully treating these complex conditions through our unique model of fully integrated primary care, behavioral health, substance use treatment, dental, pharmacy, and social services. Despite serving complex patient populations, CHCs consistently achieve positive health outcomes, exceed national quality benchmarks, and manage chronic and behavioral health conditions better than other providers.”
