What is a Community Health Center?

What is a Community Health Center? A CHC is a place for people who are generally underserved to receive basic care at a minimal cost. As a Community Health Center, InterCare takes pride in serving residents across southwest Michigan with high-quality, comprehensive, and affordable health care. Community Health Centers make providing care easy and helpful for underserved populations.

Here are a few facts you may not have known about Community Health Centers.

Community Health Centers:

  • began helping underserved populations more than 40 years ago.
  • serve more than 20 million patients per year. That number will double by 2015.
  • form a safety network for people who might otherwise not have access to medical or dental care.
  • maintain an open-door policy providing treatment regardless of an individual's income or insurance coverage.
  • patients have lower hospital admission rates, shorter stays, and less expensive admissions.
  • will save this country $122 billion in health care costs by 2015.
  • reduce infant mortality rates by 40% in the communities they serve.
  • help reduce health emergencies such as H1N1.
  • operate 1,250 health centers in all 50 states and all U.S. territories.
  • are directed by boards with majority consumer membership and focus on meeting the needs of their individual communities.

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