Health Centers
In Southeast Kansas, 9-year-old Michael was carried into the Community Health Center dental clinic with a high fever and almost unbearable pain. He hadn't eaten solid food in weeks—the lunch ladies at his elementary school had been fixing him oatmeal to make sure he had nourishment.
He was within hours of being admitted to a hospital, but his problem was obvious to the Health Center Staff. He had an abscessed tooth. He was immediately given a large dose of antibiotics and the tooth was extracted. His relief was instantaneous.
In Lima, Ohio, a woman named Jill learned she had Hepatitis C. And while she understood that it could be treated, she had no insurance and no way to pay for her medication. But the Allen County Health Partners, a HRSA-supported Health Center, told her it could help. With prescription assistance and maintenance care, Jill is now able to treat her disease and live a normal life.
A small miracle for Jill, it's a familiar story for the nation's 1,200 health centers with more than 7,000 sites across America.
Few things are as frustrating as being sick and unable to get care because you just don't have the money. But at HRSA-supported Health Centers, you pay what you can afford, based on your income.
Health Centers provide comprehensive, high-quality medical, dental and mental health care. They help women deliver healthy infants, immunize children, enable teenagers to manage their asthma, keep people with diabetes well.
Read more: Reflections on Success: Health Center Voices
Health Centers care for:
- 1 in 20 people in the United States
- 1 in 8 without health insurance
- 1 in 7 earning less than $34,000 for a family of 3 (less than 200 percent of the poverty level)