For more than 35 years, the NHSC has been recruiting caring health professionals to serve in communities where the needs are the greatest - in rural areas where the closest clinic could be miles away, and in inner-city neighborhoods where economic and cultural barriers prevent people from seeking and receiving the health care they deserve.

These aren't the ordinary places people look for jobs, but these are the towns, neighborhoods, and regions where NHSC clinicians choose to go to improve the health of the people who live in underserved communities around the country.

What are underserved communities?

Approximately 50 million people live in federally designated primary care health professional shortage areas (HPSAs) located throughout the United States and its territories. The people living in these communities are medically underserved-they have limited access to primary health care due to financial, geographic, cultural, or language barriers.

Where are underserved communities located?

How does NHSC help underserved communities?

You can depend on the NHSC to provide guidance and support in the following areas:

• Assessing and developing your retention and recruitment processes
• Finding qualified primary care clinicians committed to working in an underserved community
• Determining your community's health care needs
• Evaluating your current and future clinical staffing needs
• Networking with other NHSC sites to gain insights and information about their experiences
• Marketing your practice