COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS (CHC)

• Adelante Healthcare (Mesa, Arizona)+

  • • Adelante Healthcare’s 43,000 square foot comprehensive health center on the EVIT campus in Mesa provides a wide range of services including Family & Internal Medicine, OB/GYN, Pediatrics, Dental, Pharmacy, WIC/Nutrition, Lab, Healthy Café and Audiology. This soon-to-be-certified Platinum LEED facility (the first of its kind in the nation) also meets high standards for environmental design. The innovative facility offers positive distractions, safe and engaging physical spaces, and infuses art, nature movement (a walking path encircles the entire building), opportunities for play, free Wi-Fi and a healthy café. The building alone resets patient assumptions about “going to the doctor."

      Innovative, integrated healthcare education also distinguishes A.T. Still University's (ATSU) School of Osteopathic Medicine (SOMA) and is why they’re a proud community partner with Adelante Healthcare. Because learning at ATSU is multi-dimensional and extends beyond the classroom walls, students have invaluable onsite interactions with Adelante Healthcare patients while they’re still learning basic sciences. The health center becomes a "community campus" for second-, third-, and fourth-year SOMA students to integrate their basic science and clinical curriculum while experiencing the diagnosis and treatment of patients. As graduates, these students go on to propel the University’s mission of community outreach to underserved communities and diverse populations throughout the nation, transforming the way healthcare is delivered to society.

• Beaufort-Jasper-Hampton Comprehensive Health Services (Ridgeland, South Carolina)+

  • • Beaufort-Jasper-Hampton Comprehensive Health Services (BJHCHS) is at the forefront of providing high-quality, cost-effective healthcare in South Carolina. This community health center was established to make healthcare available to the isolated and underserved, and over time has grown to become one of the largest and most valued healthcare providers in South Carolina. In consistently trying to meet the needs of the community, BJHCHS has expanded its capabilities by improving its facilities and offering more healthcare services to the South Carolina Low Country Community.

      The range of services that the patients receive from BJHCHS is abundant and diverse. Women may see an ob/gyn for care throughout her pregnancy. Newborns and children to age 18 obtain pediatric care including sick and well visits. Family medicine offers primary care, immunizations and sports physicals. Adult health maintenance and prevention along with screenings and comprehensive wellness examinations are available for older patients looking to stay healthy. A.T. Still University's School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU-SOMA) has a partnership with BJHCHS, allowing students to interact with patients beginning in their second year of school.

      The Community Health Center also provides dental care to the low country of South Carolina, and on-sight pharmacy services. As one of the largest healthcare facilities in the state, they have become an essential part of healthy living in South Carolina.

• El-Rio Community Health Center (Tucson, Arizona)+

  • • El Rio Community Health Center is a primary source of accessible and affordable healthcare in Tucson, Pima County, and Southern Arizona. El Rio is an essential part of the growing community, taking care of the low-income population in this part of Arizona. El Rio's seventy thousand patients have access to primary care, obstetrical, medical, pediatric, adult, vision, laboratory, HIV, dental, homeless, pharmaceutical, and other services through El Rio's sixteen community locations. This high-quality, affordable, community health center is well known for improving the health of populations, and exceeding industry standards in preventive and chronic patient care.

      In partnering with El Rio, A.T. Still University's School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU-SOMA) students learn about healthcare principles and clinical procedures and then apply them to improve the wellbeing of the surrounding community. They experience an understanding of the specific healthcare needs of Tucson. Learning in an environment like El Rio allows ATSU students to build a foundation within the community. ATSU students are grounded in the community and connected with the Community Health Center, thus promoting their competence in working with El Rio's population groups.

      El Rio Community Health Center is a very integral part of the community in Tucson. "Community health centers are governed by community leaders and patients. The patients are excited to have a place that's their own," says Gary Cloud, Ph.D., associate dean, SOMA. "Healthcare centers are emerging as the pre-eminent healthcare providers across the country. As they are constantly adapting to meet the needs of the community they are ideally suited to improve community health."

• Family Healthcare Network (Tulare County, California)+

  • • Family HealthCare Network (FHCN) is the first freestanding ambulatory healthcare center in Tulare County to be accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Their axiom is, "We provide quality healthcare to everyone in the communities we serve." FHCN consists of 13 locations, spread throughout Tulare and Kings Counties, California. This private, non-profit organization, like all community health centers, has a Board of Directors that comprises individuals who live in the community. FHCN's dedication to its community is apparent in the variety of services they have to offer.

      Family HealthCare Network's extensive capabilities consist of medical, dental, and behavioral health services. Comprehensive medical care includes family medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology. Dental services range from general treatment for both children and adult to minor oral surgery. Behavioral health providers are also available at FHN to treat a full range of behavioral and mental health conditions and to provide therapy for individuals, couples, and families.

      Family HealthCare Network is affiliated with A.T. Still University's School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU-SOMA) allowing students the opportunity to pursue a career in medicine working with underserved communities. FHCN actively promotes the "Hometown" program to encourage local students to become physicians in their own communities. "Finding community residents who want to go to medical school and return to their hometown community to practice medicine is the perfect solution to procuring more doctors in areas of need," says Doug Wood, D.O., Ph.D., dean, SOMA.

      With everything Family Healthcare Network has to offer, their devotion to community-based healthcare is apparent. Since their establishment in 1976, they have continued to grow and become an essential part of the neighborhoods within the central valley of California.

• HealthPoint (Suburban Seattle , Washington)+

  • • HealthPoint operates seven medical clinics, four dental clinics, seven pharmacies, a school-based clinic, and a healthcare for the homeless program in King County (suburban Seattle), Washington. HealthPoint's culturally diverse population mix offers an outstanding opportunity for a wide range of clinical experiences. Founded 38 years ago, HealthPoint provides a comprehensive range of primary health care services to medically underserved populations and now serves more than 55,000 patients each year with nearly 200,000 visits.

      HealthPoint provides primary medical and dental care for patients from birth to over 100 years of age. Often patients from multiple generations of a single family are seen by one primary care provider. HealthPoint's model of care is distinctive. Every one of HealthPoint's medical centers integrates with behavioral health care, case management, complementary and alternative medicine, and pharmacy access. Moreover, four of the seven medical centers are co-located with HealthPoint dental centers and other social and health service agencies. While integrated care is a current trend in healthcare delivery, HealthPoint has been modeling integration for years.

      A. T. Still University's School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU-SOMA) is partnered with HealthPoint to provide SOMA students with the opportunity to provide clinical care to medically-underserved individuals. Second-, third-, and fourth-year students receive mentoring from HealthPoint providers, and (under supervision) provide services to HealthPoint patients while gaining an understanding of models for improving community health. In addition, HealthPoint's Learning Facilitators work closely with the area's leading hospitals to provide in-depth experiences for the medical students. HealthPoint has been a learning hub for ATSU since 2005 when ASDOH (Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health) students began interning there.

• HealthSource (Mt. Orab, Ohio)+

  • • HealthSource of Ohio is a not-for-profit, primary care, community health center providing medical, dental, and mental health services to medically-underserved communities. There are 15 HealthSource clinics focusing on the goal of bringing exceptional, quality healthcare to the Southwestern Ohio. Services include family practice, behavioral health medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, and dentistry.In 2007, HealthSource served 52,514 patients with 221,037 visits.

      In 2008, A.T. Still University's School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU-SOMA) partnered with HealthSource to provide a "community campus" for second-, third-, and fourth-year students. "Having students learn in a real healthcare setting allows them to see the connection between theory and actual practice," says Doug Wood, D.O., Ph.D., dean, SOMA.

      Students continue to learn basic sciences as they work with providers at HealthSource. According to Kim Patton, president and CEO of HealthSource, the community health center offers practical examples that enforce and validate classroom coursework. Students look forward to interacting with patients and making a difference in the communities where they are serving.

• Near North Health Service Corporation (Chicago, Illinois)+

  • • Near North Health Service Corporation (NNHSC) is one of the largest providers of community-based primary healthcare in Chicago. Its mission is to provide access to high quality healthcare to improve the health, well-being, and safety of the diverse populations and communities it serves. It is a culturally sensitive and culturally competent, patient-centered community health center that empowers individuals through education, disease prevention, and promoting healthy behaviors, regardless of one’s inability to pay.

      NNHSC targets low-income communities on the north, west, and south sides of Chicago. While disparate, its service areas are characterized by large concentrations of Chicago Housing Authority high rise apartments, abandoned residential buildings, blighted commercial properties, and an utter absence of basic services and healthcare resources. To meet the needs of these communities, NNHSC offers a full array of comprehensive primary care clinical services, nutrition education, and social support programs through its nine comprehensive health centers and two supplemental nutrition sites.

      NNHSC’s philosophy reflects an approach that anticipates community needs and plans for expansions that are developed in accordance to these needs. Throughout NNHSC’s evolution, not only have its methods held up under the intense new demands of ever-changing communities, but also it has come through with shining results. NNHSC reports that its successes now serve as a national model for excellence in community-based primary healthcare.

• North Country Healthcare (Flagstaff, Arizona)+

  • • North Country HealthCare provides access to affordable and quality healthcare across Northern Arizona. This nonprofit organization is based in Flagstaff and operates numerous clinics across Northern Arizona. North Country HealthCare understands the need for primary healthcare and offers a comprehensive variety of primary care and enabling community health center services. The range of services includes family medicine, preventative health services, dental care, ob/gyn and pediatrics, pharmacy, integrative medicine, disease management, mental health services, radiology, many community health and outreach programs, and health professions/ medical education. At North Country HealthCare, patients are able to receive care on a sliding- fee scale, and healthcare is accessible regardless if patients are uninsured.

      A. T. Still University's School of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-SOMA) program is centered on the patient's needs, and students are prepared through their experience at North Country HealthCare to better serve the community in which they are working. Learning in this environment allows SOMA students to become grounded in the community surrounding Flagstaff and to be able to contribute much more by truly understanding their patients.

      "Healthcare centers like this one are the premier, quality providers in the United States," says Gary Cloud, Ph.D., associate dean, SOMA. "Community health centers like North Country HealthCare are in the business of making the community a better place. Community health centers are continually growing and expanding to meet the needs of the communities they serve."

• Northwest Regional Primary Care Association (Portland, Oregon)+

  • • Northwest Regional Primary Care Association (NWRPCA) is a trade association supporting community health centers (CHCs) in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, Federal Region X. NWRPCA's mission is to support and strengthen community health centers that provide high quality, cost-effective, comprehensive health care services —without regard to financial or other status — to everyone in their communities. As a non-profit organization, NWRPCA affirms the consumer-driven governance model of health centers, seeks social justice, especially as it pertains to the right to wellness and health, and celebrates diversity.

      NWRPCA serves its member health centers by helping to recruit and develop the workforce, train and educate the health center staff, and nurture key relationships that ensure the future success of health centers. Education and training are fundamental to what NWRPCA offers its member CHCs. Through major regional conferences, face-to-face trainings, and distance learning, the association guides its members toward the development of a "professional home" where staff members grow and develop and find ongoing job satisfaction. Through strategic partnerships, NWRPCA is able to offer diverse educational and training choices, some offering undergraduate or graduate credit. Workshops and courses are tailored to the needs of developing managers, medical directors, coding and billing specialists, fiscal officers, and a wide range of other key CHC personnel.

      In their second year, medical students have the opportunity to network with health center staff and volunteer with NWRPCA member health centers while at the Portland, Oregon classroom. This experience will enable them to further develop their mission for serving the underserved and to gain an understanding of what it would be like to work for a health center. Students will spend their 3rd and 4th years working in member health centers throughout Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

• San Ysidro Health Center (San Ysidro, CA)+

  • • San Ysidro Health is an innovative, dynamic health organization committed to providing services to all who need them. Originally established along the border in 1969, the organization was founded by seven women in search of medical services for their children. Almost 50 years later, San Ysidro Health now provides innovative care to over 95,000 patients through a vast and integrated network of 34 program sites across San Diego County including: medical and dental clinics, behavioral health centers, HIV centers, WIC nutrition centers, mobile medical units, school-based health centers, chiropractic services, pediatric developmental clinic, teen clinic, senior health center and Program for All Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE).

• Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation (Centreville, IL)+

  • • SIHF was established in 1985 through the efforts of local and regional leaders to address the rapid decline in primary care and specialist providers in the greater East St. Louis area. SIHF Healthcare offers a lineup of primary care services across their network, including internal medicine, family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, dental, and behavioral health, to protect both your physical and mental health. SIHF operates many clinic centers throughout Southern Illinois, several of which offer comprehensive services for patient convenience.

• Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center (Waianae, Hawaii)+

  • • 

      Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center's mission is to "make complete comprehensive health and related human services available to all residents of the Waianae District." In the late sixties, the need for health services on the west side of Oahu became critical. At that time it could be an 11-hour trip for a patient to seek care. With the community working together, the health center has been steadily taking care of patients since 1975. With improvements every year, the center has distinguished itself as a community-owned and community-operated non-profit medical facility providing care for some 50,000 residents.

      This community health center comprises multiple primary care-oriented clinics in several locations. The primary care physicians are trained in family practice, pediatrics, women's health, and internal medicine. Round-the-clock emergency medical care, radiology, and laboratory services are available.

      The federally funded community health center also offers acupuncture, dermatology, podiatry, general surgery, and orthopedic surgery services to those patients who have been seen by their primary care physicians. A behavioral health program and dental care are also services provided at the health center. There is a pharmacy at the main health center that allows patients to receive their medication (s) onsite. Medication is available to patients on a sliding-fee scale.

      As a leading provider of quality health care for all of its patients, Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center provides community employment and education. Eighty percent of the staff comes from the service area, and many were trained at the affiliated Waianae Health Academy. In addition to ATSU-SOMA students, health professions' training includes psychology residents, dental residents and pediatric residents.

• The Wright Center (Scranton, PA)+

  • • The mission of The Wright Center for Community Health and its affiliated entity, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education, is to improve the health and welfare of our community through inclusive and responsive health services and the sustainable renewal of an inspired, competent workforce that is privileged to serve. The organization was founded in 1976 as an Internal Medicine residency program and has blossomed into a robust, nationally-recognized Graduate Medical Education Safety-Net Consortium (GME-SNC), serving 17,500+ patients annually and training 185+ learners within community venues across America.