About Health Centers
What Is a Health Center?
Health centers serve as essential medical homes where patients find services that promote health, diagnose and treat disease, and manage chronic conditions and disabilities. In rural communities, health centers support a community’s ability to retain local health care options. The Dakotas’ network of health center organizations provides care to nearly 136,000 patients each year at 66 delivery sites in 52 communities across North Dakota and South Dakota.
Federally qualified health centers are non-profit, community-driven clinics that provide high-quality primary and preventive care to all individuals, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay. Health centers are located in underserved and low-income urban and rural areas across North Dakota and South Dakota, providing access to affordable, quality health care for those who need it most.
Services
Health centers provide integrated and comprehensive services, including:
- Dental
- Medical
- Behavioral
- Insurance enrollment specialists
- Vision care
- Translation/interpretation
- Pharmacy
Populations
Health centers serve all populations with limited access to health care, including:
- Rural and frontier areas
- Veterans
- Limited English proficiency
- Uninsured
- Medicare and Medicaid
- Low-income
Impacts
Health centers in the Dakotas have a significant impact on their patients and the communities they serve. In addition to bringing quality, affordable health care to populations that wouldn’t otherwise have access, health centers make important contributions to their local workforce and economy, while generating substantial cost savings for the nation’s health care system.
Of the nearly 136,000 individuals health centers in the Dakotas served in 2021, over 27,500 were uninsured, with a large percentage earning below 200% of the federal poverty level. In 2021, health centers served more than 43,000 children, provided dental services to nearly 29,000 individuals, and employed 1,125 full-time equivalents.
According to a 2021 study, health centers across North Dakota and South Dakota have a total economic impact of $266 million, directly contributing to the growth and vitality of local and statewide economies. Health centers also bring significant cost savings to the health industry, with a recent study reporting that each patient receiving care at a health center saved the health care system 24% annually.
Find Out More
Member Directory
Meet Our Members
North Dakota
| Organization Profile | CEO/Executive Director |
| Coal Country Community Health Center | Kurt Waldbillig |
| Community Health Service Inc. | Rhonda Eastlund |
| Family HealthCare | Margaret Asheim |
| Northland Health Centers | Nadine Boe |
| Spectra Health | Mara Jiran |
South Dakota
| Organization Profile | CEO/Executive Director |
| Complete Health | Tim Trithart |
| Falls Community Health | Joe Kippley |
| Horizon Health | Wade Erickson |
| South Dakota Urban Indian Health | Tami Hogie-Lorenzen (Interim) |
| Oyate Health Center | Jerilyn Church |
The Community HealthCare Association of the Dakotas (CHAD) is a non-profit membership organization that serves as the primary care association for North Dakota and South Dakota. CHAD supports health center organizations in their mission to provide access to health care for all Dakotans regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. CHAD works with health centers, community leaders, and partners to enhance access to affordable, high-quality health care and find solutions for expanding health care services in the areas of the Dakotas that need it most. For more than 35 years, CHAD has advanced the efforts of health centers in North Dakota and South Dakota through training, technical assistance, education, and advocacy. Currently, CHAD provides a variety of resources to enhance key areas of operations, including clinical quality, human resources, finance, outreach and enabling services, marketing, and policy.
North Dakota
| Organization Profile | Contact |
| North Dakota Primary Care Office | Stacy Kusler |
| North Dakota American Cancer Society | Jill Ireland |
South Dakota
| Organization Profile | CEO/Executive Director |
| Great Plains Quality Innovation Network | Ryan Sailor |
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