Providing quality, comprehensive healthcare to all residents
During the week of August 3rd through 9th, CHP was proud to participate in National Health Center Week, the week each year when health centers across the United States take time to honor the work of our dedicated staff and volunteers. CHP is proud to be one of 1,500 health centers nationwide who have provided quality, comprehensive healthcare services to all residents of the United States since the health center movement was born in the 1960s.
To recognize and celebrate the work we do in our community every day, CHP employees enjoyed a week-long series of luncheons at our practices across the county, allowing practitioners, staff, and administrators an opportunity to connect over our shared mission and to be honored for their hard work and dedication. CEO Bethany Kieley visited each practice during the week to thank staff and delivered CHP t-shirts and tote bags as small tokens of appreciation. Every patient who visited one of our sites during the week also received a CHP gift.
How CHCs Began
The journey of Community Health Centers (CHCs) in the U.S. began in 1965, thanks to doctors and citizens who worked together to address a critical need for affordable primary care in underserved communities. The first CHCs (originally called Neighborhood Health Centers) were funded as a demonstration project under the Federal Office of Economic Opportunity under the Johnson administration. CHP is proud to be celebrating 50 years as a health center serving the Berkshires and officially became a Federally-Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in 2007.
Why CHCs Matter Today
Today, CHCs like CHP provide comprehensive primary and preventive healthcare services to underserved populations across the nation, saving lives and dollars. Established to ensure that everyone, regardless of their ability to pay, has access to high-quality healthcare, CHCs operate over 16,000 sites nationwide. When you support CHP, you are contributing to our piece of a critical network of centers that have strengthened healthcare across the US for nearly 60 years. CHCs in the US:
- Serve 32.5 million patients annually — 1 in 10 Americans
- Provide care to approximately 1 in 5 uninsured individuals
- Serve 1 in 3 people living in poverty
- Serve 1 in 5 rural Americans
- Care for more than 1.4 million individuals experiencing homelessness
- Deliver mental health services to nearly 2.8 million patients annually
Why We Need You
Federally-Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) such as CHP rely on government support and funding to exist and operate. When the role we play comes under threat, we are at risk of not being able to serve our community as services and programs may be forced to reduce or close altogether. Your support of CHP – your local community health center – will help mitigate impacts that may come from changes occurring at the federal and state level.