Happy Health Center Week! In celebration, we are highlighting some of the excellent work you all are doing in your rural communities.
Our rural communities face unique health care needs. Today more than ever, rural communities must tackle accessibility issues, a lack of health care providers, the needs of an aging population suffering from a greater number of chronic conditions, and larger percentages of uninsured and underinsured people. Rural areas need health centers so people will have health care providers in their communities that they can trust. It also means rural residents have more local options for care, including telehealth, which reduces the need to drive long distances to reach facilities and see providers and specialists in bigger cities.
As I said in the last CHAD Connection newsletter, this year’s National Health Center Week theme is, “I love my health center.” We are enjoying everyone’s photos and testimonials on social media, highlighting the things they love about their health center. Several of the CHAD staff embraced their rural roots when celebrating National Health Center Week! (See their photos below.) We can’t wait to see how everyone else will show their health center support.
National Health Center Week is a great opportunity to express our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to rural health care providers, including primary care teams of medical assistants, nurses, advanced practice providers, and physicians, behavioral health providers, dental teams, front office staff, health information technology professionals, administrators and others who are literally saving lives every day.
