Why Community Health Centers Matter More Than Ever

Why Community Health Centers Matter More Than Ever: A National Health Center Week message from Dr. Verneda Bachus Curry, CEO, HEALing Community Health

Every day, I have the privilege of watching something extraordinary happen. A child receives the checkup they need before the school year begins. An expectant mother finds the support to welcome a healthy baby. Someone who has postponed dental care for years finally smiles with confidence. A family discovers they don’t have to choose between paying bills and seeing a doctor. Those moments remind me why community health centers matter—not just during National Health Center Week, but every single day.

At a time when affordable, accessible healthcare is more important than ever, community health centers continue to prove that healthier communities begin with strong local care.

Today, more than 32 million patients—nearly 1 in every 10 people; 1 in 5 in rural areas—receive their primary healthcare through federally qualified health centers.

This year’s National Health Center Week comes at a pivotal moment.

As healthcare costs continue to rise, community health centers play an increasingly vital role in keeping our communities healthy while reducing costs across the healthcare system. When people have access to affordable primary and preventive care, they are less likely to delay treatment until a condition becomes a medical emergency. That means emergency departments can focus on true emergencies, while patients receive the ongoing care they need to live healthier lives.

Community health are crucial to the nation’s health because they:

• Improve health outcomes through prevention. Regular checkups, screenings, immunizations, and chronic disease management help people stay healthy and catch illnesses early.
• Strengthen local communities. Health centers create jobs, invest in neighborhoods, and remove barriers to care by providing services close to where people live, work, and learn.
• Provide whole-person care. Health is about more than treating illness. It includes physical, behavioral, dental, women’s, and family health working together to support every stage of life.

We’re honored to serve thousands of individuals and families throughout our community by providing integrated healthcare designed to meet the whole person.

We’re also proud to celebrate the reopening of our dental clinics, expanding access to preventive and restorative dental services for children and adults. Good oral health is essential to overall health, and these clinics represent another important step toward ensuring our community has access to comprehensive, affordable care.

Every person who walks through our doors reminds me why this work matters. It is a privilege to serve our community, and a responsibility we never take for granted.

If you know someone who could benefit from compassionate, affordable, high-quality healthcare, I hope you’ll share HEAL with them. You may be helping someone take the first step toward better health.

That’s what matters most. This week, and all year.