Today, we begin celebrating National Health Center Week (NHCW)!
NHCW (August 7 – 13) is an annual celebration with the goal of raising awareness about the mission and accomplishments of America’s health centers. Health centers provide preventive and primary care services to nearly 29 million people and have continued to do so while facing this global pandemic. Community health centers provide care to people who disproportionately suffer from chronic disease and lack access to affordable, quality care. While our approach is community-based and local, collectively we are the backbone of the nation’s primary care system. Community health centers lower health care costs by 24 billion dollars a year, reduce rates of chronic diseases, and stimulate local economies.
Community Health Center of Snohomish County (CHC) is a non-profit, Federally Qualified Health Center. We provide medical, dental, pharmacy, behavioral health, and additional ancillary services to nearly 70,000 individuals, providing 243,049 patient visits in 2021. For over 35 years, CHC has provided services to Snohomish County residents who face barriers to health care with the mission to provide our diverse community with access to high quality, affordable primary health care. CHC operates seven medical primary care clinics, two medical walk-in clinics, five dental clinics, and five pharmacies. Our clinics are conveniently located in Arlington, Edmonds, North Everett, Central Everett, South Everett, and Lynnwood.
Community health centers are not just healers, we are innovators who look beyond medical charts to address factors that may cause poor health; such as poverty, homelessness, substance use, mental illness, lack of nutrition, and unemployment. We are a critical piece of the health care system, collaborating with hospitals and local and state governments. We also partner with social, health, and business organizations to improve health outcomes for people who are medically vulnerable. During the pandemic, we shifted to serving our communities through telehealth and offering drive-through COVID-19 testing, while still ensuring our patients had access to basic necessities such as food and housing resources. To celebrate the contributions of community health centers, CHC is holding daily activities this week dedicated to particular focus areas.
Watch for daily messages on our social media (Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram), our website, and our Lobby TV’s.
For more information on NHCW, please visit https://healthcenterweek.org/.