Spread across 50 states and all U.S. territories, more than 1,150 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) provide vital primary care to more than 17 million Americans with limited financial resources.
Directed by boards with majority consumer membership, FQHCs focus on meeting the basic health care needs of their individual communities. They maintain an open-door policy, providing treatment regardless of an individual’s income or insurance coverage.
FQHCs serve community residents from all walks of life, including people enrolled in employer-based insurances, Medicare/Medicaid, or public health insurances. We also serve people with limited resources who struggle to access care through traditional channels, including the homeless, residents of public housing, migrant farm workers and others with emergent and chronic health care needs.
Health centers provide substantial benefits to their communities:
- They serve 20% of low-income, uninsured people.
- 70% of their patients live in poverty.
- They provide comprehensive care, including physical, dental, and mental health care.
- They save the national health care system between $9.9 billion and $17.6 billion a year by helping patients avoid emergency rooms and making better use of preventive services.
Find out more about the national FQHC system, click here.
