Our nation’s public health centers are the unsung heroes of health care. Each year, more than 9,000 health centers around the U.S. serve over 25 million Americans, including 300,000 veterans, 7.5 million children, 1.2 million homeless patients and over 900,000 migrant workers.
The range of services offered is wide. More than half (55%) are located in rural areas with no other medical facilities. Often, these centers are the first–and sometimes only– health services that individuals have access to. As such, they see their share of rare diseases and help find resources for people who might not know where else to turn.
From August 13-19, the National Association of Health Centers (NAHC) is sponsoring a week-long celebration to help bring attention to our nation’s health centers and the 190,000 healthcare professionals who handled more than 100,000 million patient visits a year.
Among the highlights of the week are Health Screenings Day (Aug. 14); Public Housing Health Centers Day (Aug. 15); Healthcare for the Homeless Day (Aug. 16); Agricultural Worker Health Day (Aug. 17) and Children’s Health Day (Aug. 19).
America’s health centers provide vital services for the more than 48 million uninsured, and the estimated 56 million who live in areas without doctors and basic health services.
