He visited a primary care doctor for the first time in his adult life.
She received routine medical care, along with treatment for two behavioral health conditions – depression and anxiety.
These are among the Arizonans whose lives have been positively impacted by Community Health Centers.
It is National Community Health Center Week, and Terros Health stands with nearly two dozen providers in Arizona and 14,000 providers nationwide in celebrating improved access to care for underserved and uninsured populations. This includes homeless persons, residents of public housing, migrant and seasonal farm workers, veterans, school-aged children and other special populations.
Established in 1965 and funded by grants from the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HRSA), Community Health Centers enable nearly
30 million Americans to get physicals, flu shots and other primary care services, as well as manage chronic behavioral health conditions.
“Community Health Centers remove cost, distance and other barriers while promoting integrated, whole-person care to treat the mind and body as one,” said Peggy Chase, president and CEO of Terros Health.
Terros Health was among the first in Arizona to introduce a groundbreaking integrated model of care to provide primary care, mental health, substance-use treatment and wellness services under one roof.
“Such care not only helps us fulfill our purpose of Inspiring Change for Life in our patients, but it also improves the health of our communities,” Chase said.
Through our Community Health Centers, staff identifies social determinants of health, which impacts individual well-being, and connects patients to food, housing, employment and education resources.
Another benefit of Community Health Centers: they employ the latest technologies, including the Health Information Exchange, which enables providers, clinicians and other members of the health care system to share electronic medical records to coordinate patient care.
Community Health Centers are governed by a nonprofit board of directors – more than half of whom are patients. This gives an often-overlooked population a voice in their care.
There are 12,000 Community Health Centers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the Pacific Basin.
Terros Health is one of 23 providers that operate Community Health Centers in Arizona. Last fall, the company was awarded $650,000 as part of HRSA’s $50 million Access Grants program for four Community Health Centers in high-needs areas of the Valley.
“The grant was a big win for those who may not tend to their health care needs because they cannot afford it,” Chase said.
A U.S. Census Bureau report released last year on health insurance coverage across the nation revealed that about 750,000 people – nearly 11 percent of the state’s population – are uninsured. As a result, these individuals prioritize how to spend their funds – primarily on food and housing, with health care often falling to the bottom of the list.
“Our job is not only to be healers, but also innovators who look beyond medical charts to address unemployment, poverty, homelessness and other factors that may cause poor health,” Chase said.
There is another benefit, she added. Each year, the National Association of Community Health Centers reports that these clinics generate $24 billion in annual savings for America’s health system while providing an important safety net for those who need and deserve it.
To find a Community Health Center, visit the Arizona Alliance for Community Health Centers at aachc.org/communityhealthcenters/ or terroshealth.org.
Terros Health is a health care company providing whole-person care and specializing in mental health and substance-use treatment for more than 50 years. Terros Health saves lives every day. The company helps Arizonans on their health care and recovery journeys, providing extraordinary care by empowered people achieving exceptional outcomes. This work is critical, considering that about 1 million Arizonans struggle with mental illness, and opioids claim, on average, two lives a day. Driven by a compelling purpose – Inspiring Change for Life – Terros Health’s impact is undeniable: the company delivers services to more than 50,000 people each year.
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