By Rod Grainger, CEO of MCHC Health Centers
Every August, we celebrate National Health Center Week. It’s an opportunity to recognize the valuable role community health centers play in our lives. The formal establishment of community clinics dates back more than half a century to 1965, when President Lyndon Johnson established neighborhood health centers as part of his war on poverty. Today, about 1,400 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) nationwide provide healthcare to millions of people in medically underserved areas, including 174 in California alone.
At a time when people are worried about rising costs and political rhetoric casts uncertainty about the availability of healthcare, it’s important for everyone to understand the FQHCs like MCHC Health Centers are still here to provide essential care to people in our communities, regardless of anyone’s insurance status or ability to pay.
Understanding the role of FQHCs in the community
FQHCs are non-profit health centers designed to supply healthcare in rural and underserved areas, places where healthcare wouldn’t be available otherwise. These health centers focus on primary medical care. Primary care, as it’s called, emphasizes prevention and wellness, as well as treating acute problems like ear infections, coughs, and other illnesses and managing chronic conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure. FQHCs also offer services like dental care, behavioral health services, and substance abuse disorder treatment.
More than 75 percent of people in Mendocino County turn to FQHCs and similar community health clinics for their main source of healthcare. Despite the shortage of primary care medical providers across the country, health centers like ours continue to accept new patients and provide whole-person, team-based care. Providers work together to make sure patients get the care they need. Not only do they provide care to address the immediate need, they also refer patients across departments to offer the kind of wrap-around support that isn’t always available elsewhere. For example, a primary care provider who learns that their patient’s child hasn’t had a dental appointment in years can easily refer them to our dental department and make sure they are seen.
At MCHC, we also employ teams of support staff who help patients access transportation to appointments, assist with signing up for benefits, and help make connections to community resources when needs arise. For instance, one local woman came in for a routine check-up and mentioned trouble affording healthy food. Our support staff helped her sign up for CalFresh and connect with the local food bank.
Why access to primary care matters
Without FQHCs, the gaps in the healthcare system would widen. People would have to turn to other sources for care, which could mean out-of-town travel. When that becomes impractical, people might just put off seeking care altogether. This has a cascading effect. When people put off routine well checks and screenings, diagnoses often come later. Small problems become big ones and treatment options dwindle. We saw impacts like these during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many people delayed non-urgent appointments. During that time, routine appointments and screenings dropped sharply, which meant more patients came in later with conditions that had gone unchecked and needed more intense treatment.
Addressing issues like high blood pressure, diabetes, and undiagnosed aches and pains earlier can prevent serious complications like heart disease or kidney problems down the road. Routine appointments are often where providers answer patients’ questions, schedule screenings for breast and colon cancer, and talk about mental health problems patients are experiencing. When patients don’t connect with primary care providers, these important conversations don’t happen.
Community health clinics across the country remain committed to providing excellent, affordable, locally accessible care. Please don’t put off making appointments, whether for primary care, screenings, dental visits, or other services. Routine care means earlier detection, fewer emergency room visits, healthier pregnancies, and better outcomes overall.
Rod Grainger is the CEO of MCHC Health Centers, a community-based and patient-directed organization that provides comprehensive primary healthcare services as well as supportive services such as education and translation that promote access to healthcare. MCHC includes Hillside Health Center and Dora Street Health Center in Ukiah, Little Lake Health Center in Willits, and Lakeview Health Center in Lakeport.
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