Saturday, August 16, 2014 First Choice Primary Care is marking National Health Center Week 2014 (NHCW) with our 1st Annual Health Fair, as part of a weeklong celebration (August 10-16) to raise awareness about the mission and accomplishments of America’s Health Centers as local solutions for affordable and accessible health care.

One of the bright spots in America’s health care system, Community Health Centers have traditionally drawn praise from bipartisan Members of Congress, as well as the White House. The Community Health Center safety net serves over 22 million people across the country and has been successful in:

• Reducing income and ethnic health disparities nationwide, even in the poorest and most challenged communities
• Producing $24 billion in annual health system savings
• Reducing unnecessary hospitalizations and unnecessary visits to the ER
• Generating a system of preventive medicine that patients use regularly to stay healthy, thus saving lives. 

The theme for NHCW 2014 is “Celebrating America’s Health Centers: Local Engines for Healthier Communities,” which underscores how health centers deliver quality care while serving as critical economic engines helping to power local economies. Community owned and operated businesses health centers employ hundreds of thousands of individuals at about 9,000 delivery sites across the nation. In addition to primary care services, health centers provide a comprehensive range of services that enhance access to care, well-being, and economic and workforce development in the community, such as casework, transportation, daycare and housing assistance.  

“Health centers are a proven model that has delivered multiple returns on the public and private investment for the past 50 years,” said Katherine McLeod, CEO.  “We provide a patient centered medical home for and operated by the community that addresses the local needs fostering a healthier community. Our patients not only get the care they need under one roof, but they are treated as individuals, with dignity and respect. This is what health care should be, and what we celebrate during National Health Center Week.”

To learn more about the mission and services provided by First Choice Primary Care please visit us at www.firstchoiceprimarycare.org. 

To learn more about the mission and accomplishments of Community Health Centers please visit the web site of the National Association of Community Health Centers at www.nachc.org. 

To find out more about National Health Center Week, visit www.healthcenterweek.org.Use #NHCW2014 to follow and join the conversation.