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Study: Community Health Centers Hold Answer to Healthcare Crisis

Community health centers in Virginia, which provide healthcare services to all Virginians, are a bright spot in the public health debate, providing high quality care while controlling costs and pumping money and jobs into Virginia’s economy, said a new report released by the National Association of Community Health Centers.

The new study found that community health centers nationwide not only provide care to 16 million Americans, but do so while saving money in healthcare costs and generating substantial economic benefit in some of the neediest communities. Access Granted: The Primary Care Payoff was conducted by the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), the Robert Graham Center and Capital Link.

“Quite simply, community health centers, like those in Virginia, are the best healthcare investment America can make,” said Marc Wetherhorn, National Advocacy Director for the National Association of Community Health Centers. “Medical expenses for their patients are 41 percent lower compared to patients seen elsewhere – $1,810 per person annually. Even to those of us who follow healthcare closely, the figures are stunning.”

“Here in Loudoun County, we take great pride in providing a ‘healthcare home’ that delivers quality and strengthens our communities,” said Debra Dever, CEO of the nonprofit Loudoun Community Health Center. “The patient-centered, high-quality care provided at Loudoun’s community health center reduces reliance on expensive emergency rooms. This new analysis confirms what we’ve long suspected: the community health center is the healthcare model for many communities. We hope Washington is paying attention.”

The study also found:

Nationwide, community health centers save the healthcare system between $9.9 and $17.6 billion.
Virginia’s community health centers have an overall economic impact of $126.6 million and produce more than 700 jobs. Nationwide, they have had an impact of $12.6 billion and have produced 143,000 jobs.
If Congress invests in community health centers today, an estimated 30 million Americans could have access to high quality care by the year 2015, resulting in healthcare savings of between $22.6 and $40.4 billion annually.
If Congress invests in community health centers today, these figures would rise to an estimated total economic impact of $40.7 billion and over 460,000 full time equivalent jobs in 2015.

Community health centers started more than 40 years ago to deliver primary healthcare services to the medically underserved. There are more than 1,100 community health centers serving more than 16 million people at over 6,000 sites located throughout all 50 states and U.S. territories, including 80 sites operating across Virginia.

Community health centers serve everyone in the community – regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.