Community health centers (CHCs) provided primary health care to over 20 million patients in 2011, 60% of whom are women and 25% of whom are women of childbearing age. Health centers play a central role in women’s health, because of their mission to furnish a full range of primary and preventive care services, including family planning and birth control for women of reproductive age. As a result of the Affordable Care Act, which provide for historic insurance expansions, broad first-dollar coverage of family planning services, and direct investment in CHCs, it is projected that health center capacity will virtually double by 2019, and accordingly, the role of health centers in the provision of women’s health care services can be expected to grow significantly. This study examines how health centers fulfill their family planning mission.
The brief was authored by Susan Wood, Debora Goldberg, Tishra Beeson, Brian Bruen, Kay Johnson, Holly Mead, Peter Shin, Julie Lewis, Shavon Artis, Katherine Hayes, Merle Cunningham, Xiaoxiao Lu, and Sara Rosenbaum.