The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH) celebrates National Health Center Week (NHCW) from August 4-10. NHCW, sponsored by the National Association of Community Health Centers, honors the nearly 1,400 community health centers nationwide that provide health care services to 31 million+ patients across more than 15,000 communities each year. This year’s NHCW theme is “Powering Communities Through Caring Connections” and focuses on connecting communities with their local health centers to improve health outcomes.
Community health centers contribute significantly to addressing health disparities by providing quality care to all people despite their ability to pay. Specifically, they serve a disproportionate number of people with a low income and people from racial and ethnic minorities, including those living in rural areas and those with limited English proficiency. CMS OMH provides resources and support to CHCs to help them disseminate important health information to their patients. Through the Coverage to Care (C2C) initiative, CMS OMH connects CHCs and other providers to materials they can share with patients to help them understand their health coverage and the care options available to them. Share the resources below to help CHCs continue to provide quality care and reduce health disparities throughout NHCW and all year.
Resources
- Visit the C2C webpage to access our resources that can help providers and patients understand their health coverage and care options, such as the C2C Roadmap to Better Care, the Manage Your Chronic Condition webpage, and C2C’s prevention resources.
- Watch our C2C Community Connections Tour video to learn how the initiative meets communities where they are at, bringing resources directly to those who need them.
- Visit our Rural Health Resources webpage to access CMS and other HHS resources like the Rural Health Clinics Center and the Federally Qualified Health Centers Center that can help you provide care to rural communities.
- Review the CMS Framework for Advancing Health Care in Rural, Tribal, and Geographically Isolated Communities, which outlines how CMS is working to promote access to equitable care in rural, Tribal, and geographically isolated communities.
- Use the Mapping Medicare Disparities Tool to identify disparities between subgroups of Medicare enrollees within the communities you serve in areas like health outcomes, utilization, and spending.
- View the Health Resources & Services Administration’s (HRSA) Bureau of Primary Healthcare website to learn how your organization can become a funded health center.
- Find a health center near you using HRSA’s tool.
- Visit the National Health Center Week website to find NHCW events near you and explore related resources and activities.