ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the role that Community Health Centers (CHCs) have played in the recent development of the American health care system. CHCs, along with public hospitals and other providers, form the backbone of the health care safety net in the United States. A CHC is a provider of comprehensive primary health care to underserved persons through a program created and sustained by Congress to meet health care needs of underserved communities. CHCs serve the poor, uninsured, and a large percentage of ethnic and racial minorities in medically underserved areas and populations. CHCs provide comprehensive primary health care that is culturally and linguistically appropriate, oral health care, behavioral health care, case management, and a whole person approach to health. Community-based health care is focused on primary rather than institutional or acute care. Health centers improve access to preventive services, health outcomes, and have been successful in reducing or eliminating health disparities.
