|
Connecticut's community health centers were first
established in the 1960s to meet the health needs of those with
little, or no ability to pay for medical care. The founders saw
quality, personalized medical care as a right of all people and
established a policy that no patient would be turned away. Since
their inception, health centers have evolved in number, size,
and scope of services, and are leaders in the delivery of quality
care to Connecticut’s communities.
Most of CHCACT’s
12 member centers now operate satellite offices in addition to
their main locations. Currently, community
health centers operate from more than 50 different sites throughout
the state and are one of Connecticut’s largest health care
systems. More than half a million visits are made to Connecticut
community health centers each year by people from over 140 towns
and cities in our state. Community health centers are easily
accessible and affordable health care providers that offer comprehensive,
family-oriented, culturally competent medical, dental and social
services to the people who need them. Every day community health
centers throughout Connecticut act as first responders to prevent
and address medical and social issues before they reach an acute
or chronic level.
The state’s community health centers are
federally mandated. But state funding and private donations are
critical to ensuring
that Connecticut’s community health centers remain viable
and accessible to all those who need them. With the numbers of
uninsured people rising, more Connecticut residents than ever
before will be turning to community health centers to meet their
family’s medical, dental and social service needs.
|