The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has recently released the CY2016 Accountable Care Organization (ACO) financial results.  Carolina Medical Home Network is pleased to announce that CMHN ACO has outperformed the target cost benchmark that is set by CMS. The ACO reduced their overall spending over the course of 2016 by $400 per member per year.  CMHN ACO outperformed the ‘All MSSP ACO’ peer group.  The overall Quality Score for CMHN was 96%.

In 2015, the NC Community Health Care Association created an Accountable Care Organization under the umbrella of Carolina Medical Home Network.  In 2016, the CMHN ACO was comprised of six health centers: Advance CHC, Gaston Family Health Services, Goshen Medical Center, Piedmont Health Services, Roanoke-Chowan CHC, and Rural Health Group.  The ACO is under a Medicare Shared Savings Track 1 model, which is a no-risk model that allows for potential shared savings.

Congratulations to the ACO health center CEOs and staff and the NCCHCA staff that supports this project!

This Friday, the CHAMPIONING HEALTHY KIDS ACT of 2017 will likely be voted on in the US House of Representatives. NCCHCA is glad that Congress is moving forward toward resolution of the crisis facing millions of vulnerable patients due to the expiration of the Community Health Center Fund (CHCF) nearly a month ago.  The House legislation extends critical funding for the CHCF, as well as for important workforce programs like the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education Program, for two additional years. As the medical home for children in rural and underserved communities throughout North Carolina, NCCHCA also supports the extension for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) included in the bill. However, the offsets used to pay for this legislation make severe cuts to public health funding relied on by the CDC, state and county health departments.

Community Health Centers serve patients who experience a wide range of social and environmental factors that affect their health. Community health centers cannot do this alone, and rely on local, state and national public health partners. Therefore, cutting money from one part of the nation’s public health infrastructure to fund another is misguided.  In fact, three North Carolina Community Health Centers are public entity Community Health Centers, which means they serve as community health centers and local public health departments simultaneously. Reductions in funding in the Public Health Prevention Trust fund could diminish their ability to prepare for and respond to public health emergencies which impact everyone.

NCCHCA strongly supports bipartisan legislation, H.R. 3770, led in the House by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ), David Young (R-IA) and Joe Courtney (D-CT) and S.1899, introduced in the Senate by Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). Both of these bills call for a longer, 5-year extension of the CHCF, and the significant bipartisan support for each shows there is widespread agreement on the need for long-term stability in CHC funding. While we support the two-year extension included in the House proposal, we remain committed to working with Health Center champions in both parties and in both chambers on an eventual long-term solution to the funding cliff.

We look to our members of Congress to seek an immediate, attainable fix to the Community Health Center Funding Cliff that can pass Congress with bipartisan support, without crippling public health.

For Immediate Release: 
The waiting rooms at North Carolina’s Community Health Centers are hundreds of miles from the U.S. Capitol, but what happens under that dome is affecting our patients’ health.

Right now, community health centers in North Carolina are bracing for a federal funding cut of 70 percent that took effect October 1.  There are 39 community health centers in North Carolina, with over 220 sites. They all serve any patient who walks in the door, regardless of ability to pay. Patients are offered sliding fee scales appropriate to their income.

On average, our NC Community Health Centers serve about 43% uninsured patients, but some individual sites have uninsured numbers as high as 90%.  Some of those sites—the ones that serve the poorest and sickest in North Carolina—may be forced to close without a fix to the funding cliff.

What will happen to those people? If they get any care at all, their only option will be to go to the emergency room. That’s an expensive choice, and not the right kind of care.

NC Community Health Centers are not alone. The federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) itself has projected that the impact of the funding cliff will result in the closure of 2,800 health center locations, elimination of more than 50,000 jobs, and a loss of access to care for more than 9 million patients.  The disruption is already evident.  More than 70 percent of health centers recently surveyed said they will institute a hiring freeze, and nearly half (43 percent) say they will cut services as a result of the funding cut, according to a recent survey by the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC).

The irony is there is broad agreement in Congress that a cliff fix is needed and a path forward has been set.  Lawmakers in the House and Senate have introduced bipartisan legislation to extend funding for health centers and other programs.  But we’re up against a host of factors that include a ticking clock and a busy legislative calendar.

Why should this matter?  Because health centers like ours save lives.  North Carolina Community Health Centers are part of a nationwide network that started more than 50 years ago to provide quality primary care in places where doctors and services were scarce or non-existent. We are the family doctor to more than 27 million Americans in communities all over the country, 1 in 12 Americans. We provide affordable access to primary care and help reduce the incidence of chronic disease in the most challenging rural and urban communities all over America.  Our patients have a more affordable option for preventive care than a hospital emergency room, a fact which allows us to generate $24 billion in health care cost savings. We are also innovators, working with community partners to respond to public health crises, such as the opioid epidemic and the recent hurricanes that struck Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico. Locally, CommWell Health has a partnership with Smithfield Foods to provide primary medical and behavioral health care for the more than 5,000 employees working at the Tar Heel processing plant.  The 973,000 square foot plant was reported in 2000 to be the world’s largest, processing 32,000 pigs a day.  The partnership provides CommWell Health with a state of the art primary care and behavioral health facility, located across the street from Smithfield Foods plant, open to both Smithfield Foods employees and members of the Bladen County Community.

There is little doubt that health centers have contributed significantly to cost savings for the American taxpayer.  Our record of success is why our program draws bipartisan support from U.S. presidents and lawmakers.  Sadly, such broad support may not be enough to help us now. The best hope for Community Health Centers right now is the CHIME bills in the Senate and the House of Representatives (currently sponsored in the House by NC Representatives Price, Rouzer, Adams, and Butterfield; no NC sponsors in Senate). There are other bills moving through the House Energy & Commerce Committee, but there is disagreement still on how to pay for these bills.

Let’s hope our leaders in Congress get legislation to reinstate health center funding – and soon.

Over 50 events around North Carolina are planned as part of National Health Center Week (NHCW). The national campaign runs August 13-19th with the goal of raising awareness about the mission and accomplishments of community health centers over the course of more than five decades.

North Carolina’s community health centers play a vital role in our state’s healthcare safety net. They are innovators in healthcare delivery and feature a patient-governed medical home model that utilizes care teams and enabling services to help patients address their medical and social needs.

Today, they play the following role in NC:
• Serve more than 480,000 patients (41% uninsured, 26% Medicaid, 13% Medicare and 20% private insurance).
• Offer sites in 85 of North Carolina’s 100 counties
• Provide medical, dental, pharmacy, behavioral health and substance abuse services
• Participate in new delivery systems, such as Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Accountability Care Organizations and a Health Center Controlled Network that analyzes patient data to improve care
• Generate & support over 3,400 jobs across the state
• Have the staff expertise & outreach ability to help patients as the state moves through its Medicaid transformation
Nationally, community health centers:
• Produce $24 billion in annual health system savings
• Reduce unnecessary hospitalizations and unnecessary visits to the emergency room;
• Treat patients for a fraction of the average cost of one emergency room visit
• Maintain patient satisfaction levels of nearly 100 percent
• Serve more than one in six Medicaid beneficiaries for less than two percent of the national Medicaid budget

Health centers not only prevent illness and foster wellness in the most challenging populations, they produce innovative solutions to the most pressing healthcare issues in their communities. In North Carolina, where our state did not expand Medicaid coverage to low-income, uninsured adults. Community health centers remain one of the few primary care providers willing to treat individuals without a source of payment. They reach beyond the walls of conventional medicine to address the factors that may cause sickness, such as lack of nutrition, mental illness, homelessness and addiction. Because of their long record of success in innovation, managing healthcare costs, and reducing chronic disease, leaders in Congress have declared health centers a model of care that offers a “bipartisan solution to the primary care access problems” facing our nation.

There are NHCW events scheduled across North Carolina and the country, including health fairs, press conferences, back-to-school drives, community breakfasts, patient appreciation events, free health screenings and dental cleanings, visits by members of Congress and state officials and much more.

To learn more about NHCW and the listing of events please visit: https://healthcenterweek.org/

You can also follow the conversation using #NHCW17 or #ValueCHCs on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The Community Health Center Funding Cliff is Coming:

2 Months to a Precipitous Drop in Access.

On Thursday and Friday of last week, the U.S. Senate considered health care legislation that would have impacted health insurance markets and Medicaid coverage across the country. North Carolina Community Health Centers were concerned that these proposals would decrease health insurance coverage and access to health care for the patients and communities we serve. No changes were passed last week and, thus, the current health care system remains. National healthcare reform may yet happen, but community health centers have even more immediate concerns.

On October 1, 2017 – just two months from now – Community Health Centers are slated to lose 70% of the federal funding that supports services to the uninsured across our country. The impact in North Carolina would be a loss of $69 million in federal funds, an estimated 100,000 patients losing access to care, and 1,000 jobs lost. The implications for the safety net are even broader. All federal funding for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and the Graduate Medical Education Teaching Health Centers (THC) programs will also end. These programs provide debt relief to and grow the workforce of primary care providers who choose to serve in underserved communities across the country. Finally, funding for the Children’s Health Insurance (CHIP) program, which provides insurance coverage for children in families with low incomes expires on the same day, September 30, 2107.

Representative James Clyburn has introduced H.R. 3059: Community Health Center and Primary Care Workforce Expansion Act of 2017, and Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced a bill with the same title on the Senate side, S. 1441. These bills would provide funding for Community Health Centers, NHSC, THC and the Nurse Practitioner Residency Training Program. Congress should move to pass these immediately.

There isn’t enough time to be disappointed or relieved with the results of this week’s healthcare debate. Instead, we need everyone in Congress – and all supporters of primary care safety net programs and health insurance coverage for children – to get back to work on renewing funding for integral programs that are supported by from all angles of the political spectrum.

North Carolina Community Health Center Association Concerned About Impact of the American Health Care Act on Vulnerable Populations and People with Preexisting Conditions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On May 4th, the American Health Care Act (AHCA) passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a slim margin (217-213). This bill would replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or, Obamacare). The bill now heads to the U.S. Senate where its future is uncertain. For now, the ACA remains the law of the land. Consumers’ current insurance coverage is not affected by the House vote. Consumers should continue to pay their premiums and use their health insurance.

The NC Community Health Center Association (NCCHCA) supports federal efforts to reduce the cost of health insurance coverage for all Americans, improve the quality of healthcare, and increase access to healthcare services. However, NCCHCA believes the AHCA – in its current form – will decrease access to health care and increase costs for Community Health Center patients and other North Carolinians who are medically underserved or who contend with preexisting health conditions.

American Health Care Act (HR 1628) Estimated Impacts

24 million more uninsured Americans by 2026.

$880 billion decrease in Medicaid funding to states by 2026.

Eliminates Medicaid expansion for adults with low incomes by 2020.

Raises premium costs for adults ages 50 and older.

Decreases financial help for people with low incomes buying Marketplace health insurance

North Carolina Marketplace plan costs increase $5,260 on average.

Allows states to:

• Let insurers charge people higher premiums based on pre-existing conditions if there is a lapse in coverage
• Put people with pre-existing conditions into high-risk pools where they could face more expensive and less comprehensive coverage.  The $8 billion over 5 years for the high-risk pool support to states is woefully inadequate.  It is estimated that NC alone would need $1 – 1.5 billion annually for a high-risk pool.  This plan puts an unbearable burden on states and consumers.
• Eliminate essential health benefits. Insurance companies would no longer have to include coverage for these 10 essential health benefits: emergency room visits, outpatient care, in-hospital coverage (like surgery), pregnancy, maternity and prenatal care, behavioral health care, some prescription drugs, and more.

Allows employers to:

• Increase employee out of pocket costs
• Place lifetime limits on how much employer insurance coverage pays for the aforementioned essential health benefits
• The 91% of North Carolina Community Health Center patients with incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level (income less than $24,120/year for an individual), will have less access to insurance coverage and health care services.
• The 26% of Medicaid patients served by NC Community Health Centers risk losing this coverage or seeing a decrease in the services available to them through Medicaid.

The NC Community Health Center Association hopes the U.S. Senate will wait until the Congressional Budget Office scores the bill before taking it up.  We also encourage senators to use the components of the Affordable Care Act that are working effectively, or need reasonable modification as the basis for developing their version of the bill.  We urge the Senate to craft a health care bill that it focuses on decreasing disparities in access to health care services and health insurance coverage for the medically underserved, people with low incomes, and people with preexisting health conditions.

North Carolina Community Health Center Association Supports Covering the Uninsured Working Poor via HB 662, Carolina Cares.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact
E. Benjamin Money, Jr. MPH
President & CEO
North Carolina Community Health Center Association
4917 Waters Edge Dr., Suite 165
Raleigh, NC 27606-2459
(919) 469-1116 (direct)
(919) 469-5701 (office)

HB 662, Carolina Cares, is a common-sense conservative approach to covering the uninsured. This bill, introduced by Representatives Lambeth, Murphy, Dobson, and White empowers patients to access affordable, high quality, and innovative primary and preventive care.

Carolina Cares (HB 662)

• Would allow 300,000+ working people in the coverage gap to gain affordable coverage.
• Empowers patients by encouraging participation in preventive care and wellness programs.
• Will not cost the state anything, as it will receive funding through (a) federal match, (b) participant contributions, and (c) state assessments, including hospital assessment.

•Encourages strategies developed in the Healthy Indiana plan established by Vice President Mike Pence.

Good for a Growing Economy
Though North Carolina’s economy is growing, that growth is across many sectors including low-wage service jobs and those in the gig economy. People in these jobs do not have the opportunity for coverage. North Carolina should offer its residents, new and old, affordable, reliable access to regular primary and preventive care, so that we can keep the economy growing sustainably. HB 662’s work requirements need to include provisions that do not exclude people in the event of an economic downtown or when employment is scarce.

Community Health Centers are Uniquely positioned to be essential Carolina Cares providers
• Community Health Centers help with access to high quality care: NC CHCs already serve people regardless of their insurance status. Currently, we serve approximately 200,000 uninsured patients statewide.
• CHCs provide stability and continuity of care: patients will have a consistent medical home in the face of federal uncertainty around healthcare. When currently uninsured CHC patients gain access to coverage, it will enable health centers and other safety net providers to hire new staff, extend hours, offer new services, and utilize care teams to provide cost-effective, quality care.
• Primary care can decrease costs: Carolina Cares emphasizes strong preventive and primary care services and reducing the need for urgent and emergency care. Community Health Centers are effective in lowering total patient costs because we provide comprehensive primary care and treat patient needs beyond medical care – including providing dental, pharmacy, transportation, interpretation, and other enabling services.
• Statewide, locally-governed health centers are ready to serve. CHC sites are located in 82 North Carolina counties and serve patients from all NC counties.

RALEIGH – The North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS), working in conjunction with the North Carolina Community Health Center Association (NCCHCA), and Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) today announced they have signed a definitive agreement to collaborate on a patient-focused approach to Medicaid under the reform plan enacted in the state of North Carolina.

Under the agreement, the organization will create a joint venture, Carolina Complete Health, to establish, organize and operate a physician-led health plan to provide Medicaid managed care services in North Carolina. A key feature of the joint venture wihll be the active participation of physicians in the ownership and governance of the health plan. Centene will manage the financial and daily operations, while the Carolina Complete Health Network, which will be owned jointly by NCMS, physicians, Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners and Federally Qualified Health Centers, will provide medical management services, hold a majority on the Board of Directors and oversee the medical policies for the health plan.

“With the changes taking place in our health care system at the state level with Medicaid reform and new programs at the national level, the NCMS remains committed to ensuring that physicians are the ones making the clinical decisions in the best interest of their patients,” said NCMS CEO Robert W. Seligson. “Our leadership views this partnership as a unique opportunity to help lead the reform process and to put patients’ needs first.”

When the General Assembly in September 2015 passed Medicaid reform legislation privatizing the state’s Medicaid program, the NCMS began to proactively pursue opportunities to keep patients at the forefront. The NCMS established key criteria for a partnership including financial strength, experience with statewide Medicaid networks and an openness to a patient-focused approach.

“Centene is pleased to enter into this partnership with the NCMS and NCCHCA to serve Medicaid recipients in North Carolina,” said Michael F. Neidorff, Chairman, President and CEO for Centene. “We believe this physician-directed health plan can be an ideal model when properly executed to ensure providers are leading health care decisions and contributing toward a value-based reimbursement system that results in better health outcomes for members at a lower cost to the state. We have seen this type of health plan model work, and we look forward to bringing this approach to North Carolina.”

Moving forward, the NCCHCA will serve as an integral part in making the joint venture a success.

“North Carolina Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) are key providers of primary care services to Medicaid recipients across North Carolina. The patient-centered medical home model at FQHCs, and their focus on providing a broad spectrum of services to low-income and underserved populations, make them uniquely prepared to meet the state’s Medicaid reform goals. NCCHCA believes partnering with the North Carolina Medical Society and Centene will enable FQHCs to work more closely with physician specialists and health systems in their local communities to improve patient continuity of care, quality and cost,” said NCCHCA CEO E. Benjamin Money, Jr.

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About the North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS)

The NCMS is the oldest professional member organization in North Carolina, representing physicians and physician assistants who practice in the state. Founded in 1849, the Society seeks to promote access to quality health care for all citizens in North Carolina and champions initiatives that seek to improve quality of care and promote patient safety.

About the North Carolina Community Health Center Association (NCCHCA)

The NCCHCA is a private, non-profit membership association that represents federally-qualified health centers and aspiring health centers across North Carolina. The NCCHCA’s mission is to promote and support these patient-governed community health care organizations and the populations they serve.

About Centene Corporation

Centene Corporation, a Fortune 500 company, is a diversified, multi-national healthcare enterprise that provides a portfolio of services to government sponsored healthcare programs, focusing on under-insured and uninsured individuals. Many receive benefits provided under Medicaid, including the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), as well as Aged, Blind or Disabled (ABD), Foster Care and Long Term Care (LTC), in addition to other state-sponsored programs, Medicare (including the Medicare prescription drug benefit commonly known as “Part D”), as well as programs with the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Centene operates local health plans and offers a range of health insurance solutions. It also contracts with other healthcare and commercial organizations to provide specialty services including behavioral health management, care management software, correctional healthcare services, dental benefits management, in-home health services, life and health management, managed vision, pharmacy benefits management, specialty pharmacy and telehealth services.

Centene uses its investor relations website to publish important information about the Company, including information that may be deemed material to investors. Financial and other information about Centene is routinely posted and is accessible on Centene’s investor relations website, http://www.centene.com/investors.

NCMS is “testing the waters” under Regulation A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, to gauge market demand from potential investors for an offering of securities by its wholly-owned subsidiary (the “issuer”) formed in connection with the contemplated joint venture between NCMS and Centene. No money or other consideration is being solicited, and if sent in response, will not be accepted. No offer to buy the securities can be accepted and no part of the purchase price can be received until an offering statement is filed with, and qualified by, the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any such offer may be withdrawn or revoked, without obligation or commitment of any kind, at any time before notice of its acceptance given after the qualification date. A person’s indication of interest involves no obligation or commitment of any kind.

This communication contains forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “could,” “would,” “project,” “plan,” “expect” or the negative or plural of these words or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning the joint venture, the proposed health plan and our projections. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, among other things, satisfaction of the conditions to closing of the joint venture transaction. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this communication may not occur and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, neither Centene, NCMS, the issuer, NCCHCA nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the forward-looking statements. Centene, NCMS, the issuer and NCCHCA undertake no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this communication to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in our expectations.

NCCHCA is pleased to announce that the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust in Winston-Salem, North Carolina awarded a $400,000 grant to help North Carolina’s Community Health Centers recover from the devastation of Hurricane Matthew.

The funding will enable Kinston Community Health Center (Lenoir County), Carolina Family Health Centers (Edgecombe County) and Goshen Medical Centers (locations in Cumberland, Duplin, and Columbus counties) to make necessary repairs to their hurricane damaged sites and ensure that high quality primary care remains accessible to anyone seeking services at their health centers.

In addition to $400,000 from the Trust, health centers will seek recovery funds from the Federal Emergency Management Association.

“We know how crucial our Community Health Centers are in North Carolina’s low income, rural, and urban communities. We’re extremely thankful for the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust’s proactive engagement with hurricane recovery to minimize the impact on North Carolina’s most vulnerable people.” says Ben Money, CEO and President of North Carolina Community Health Center Association.

North Carolina’s community health centers have a long history of providing access to primary health care services in communities with limited access to health care. Health centers provide high quality primary care at low cost to every patient who walks in the door, regardless of ability to pay. Community health centers are, by their nature, effective, efficient, local businesses that serve vital roles in communities that may have limited health care options. They are community governed, patient-majority boards keep them focused on local needs. CHCs relieve the pressure on emergency departments, and assist patients with social factors that affect health in the short and long term. NCCHCA includes 38 community health centers with 200 locations in 72 North Carolina counties, which serve nearly half a million patients.

The Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust was established in 1947 and is now one of the largest private trusts in North Carolina. Its mission is to improve the quality of life and quality of health for the financially needy of North Carolina. The Health Care Division promotes wellness state-wide by investing in prevention and treatment. The Poor and Needy Division of the Trust responds to basic life needs and invests in solutions that improve the quality of life and health for financially needy residents of Forsyth County. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. serves as sole trustee.

About the North Carolina Community Health Association

The North Carolina Community Health Center Association serves as the collective voice for North Carolina’s 40 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Look-alikes (LAs)—aka Community Health Centers (CHCs). Our members offer a patient-governed, patient-centered health care home that integrates high quality medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, and enabling services without regard to a person’s ability to pay. NCCHCA members are geographically dispersed across 74 counties and operate 200 clinical sites.

RALEIGH, NC (December 2016) – Friday, December 15, 2016:
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell announced six New Access Point Grant awards to serve a proposed 21,392 new patients in North Carolina. Nationally, over $50 million in funding has been granted to 75 new health center sites in 23 states and 2 U.S. territories to increase access to health care services for nearly 650,000 patients.
“We expect this competitive New Access Point funding to provide health care to more than 240,000 additional patients,” said Dr. Mary Wakefield, Acting Deputy Secretary at HHS. “These new health center sites will contribute significantly to the health of families and communities across the nation.”

Community Health Centers (CHCs) are nonprofit, community-based and patient-directed organizations that serve populations with limited access to health care. For 50 years, CHCs have been a vital part of North Carolina’s healthcare system, providing comprehensive, culturally competent, quality primary health care services to medically underserved communities and vulnerable populations.

E. Benjamin Money, CEO of the North Carolina Community Health Center Association (NCCHCA), said “The family of Community Health Centers in North Carolina is pleased to welcome two new federally qualified health centers in Hoke and Wilkes Counties and to expand access to services through four existing Community Health Centers. Rural North Carolina struggles with access to health care services, so we are grateful for federal support that will bring new access and services to rural residents of Hoke and Wilkes Counties. Community health centers offer a model of integrated health care services that is nationally recognized and offers high quality care at a low cost. These awards grow our footprint such that there are now community health center sites in 74 NC counties.”

HHS New Access Point Grantees:
• Community Health Interventions and Sickle Cell Agency, Hoke County — $797,331
• Southside United Health Center, Winston Salem — $270,833
• Craven County Government, New Bern — $270,833
• Goshen Medical Center, Inc, Faison — $650,000
• Wilkes County OF, Wilkesboro — $793,324
• Blue Ridge Community Health Services, Inc. Hendersonville — $775,000

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About the North Carolina Community Health Association
The North Carolina Community Health Center Association serves as the collective voice for North Carolina’s 40Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Look-alikes (LAs)—aka Community Health Centers (CHCs). Our members offer a patient-governed, patient-centered health care home that integrates high quality medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, and enabling services without regard to a person’s ability to pay. NCCHCA members are geographically dispersed across 74 counties and operate 200 clinical sites.