Community Health Centers, Inc.
Improving the Wellness of Our Region
This local not-for-profit healthcare organization is dedicated to meeting the
unique needs of uninsured and underinsured patients across Central Florida.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS, INC. Throughout the country,
Federally Qualified
Health Centers
(FQHCs) have become
an integral part
of the health care safety
net for a vast majority of uninsured or
underinsured patients needing care.
FQHCs began in 1964 when the
Economic Opportunity Act was created
by President Lyndon Johnson to
develop neighborhood health centers.
The term Federally Qualified Health
Centers was first used in 1989 and
was added as a Medicare benefit in
1991. More recently, FQHCs were a
key part of the Affordable Care Act,
which highlighted the importance
38 Central Florida Lifestyle | September 2019
of primary care in underserved areas
across the country. Today, there
are more than 1,100 FQHCs in the
United States.
An Advocate for Health
Locally, Community Health
Centers, Inc. in Central Florida
is one of our region’s largest notfor
profit providers of health and
wellness services, caring for nearly
70,000 patients annually and contributing
$87.9 million in economic
impact on our region.
As an FQHC, Community
Health Centers, Inc is a communitydriven
organization dedicated to serving
patients and their families locally,
in the neighborhoods that they live
and trust. Their mission is to provide
quality, compassionate healthcare services
to many diverse communities,
and do so in a way that consistently
overcomes economic, cultural and
geographic barriers.
Their strength is in their constant
focus on being a community partner
that cares for the whole person. They
view patients as being individuals who
deserve specialized care. Each patient
has unique needs, and they strive to
develop programs that meet these
needs while exceeding the expectations
of those receiving care.
Programs such as pediatrics,
family medicine, internal medicine,
dental, optometry, behavioral
health, OB/GYN, pharmacy and
laboratory services have been designed
to meet a significant need for
their patients, as many of them are
managing chronic, life-long conditions
such as diabetes. Additionally,
the Hospital to Medical Home
transition program is designed for
patients who are hospitalized at local
hospitals and need transitional
care.