As community health centers mark their 60th anniversary, a new data note from the Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative provides an essential overview of where health centers are located, whom they serve, how they support the health and well-being of their patients and the communities they serve, and their successful track record in advancing health for millions of people across the country.
In 2023, community health centers provided a broad range of primary and preventive care services to one in ten people nationally, including one in eight children, one in eight women of reproductive age, and one in six pregnant women. Health centers are a lifeline to care, serving under-resourced areas including one in six rural residents and elevating the health of their communities.
Health centers have a storied legacy – but they need stable sources of funding to provide comprehensive, high-quality services to their communities. Potential federal cuts to Medicaid – targeted at $880 billion or more over a decade – will have devastating consequences for health center patients and the communities in which they live.
An Enduring Commitment to Health and Health Care: Community Health Centers at Sixty is available now on the Geiger Gibson Program website, along with our complete policy research archive.
