***Media Release***
August 8, 2022
Contacts: Stacie Borrello, NCCHCA Communications & External Affairs Manager | borrellos@ncchca.org, 919-996-9208; Brendan Riley, NCCHCA VP, Government Relations & External Affairs | rileyb@ncchca.org, 919-469-1116
Expanding Medicaid Would Increase Community Health Center Reimbursement Revenue by 32% on Average, New Analysis Finds
Passing Medicaid Expansion Would Create Jobs in the Health Care Workforce and Expand Care Access in Rural and Underserved Communities
Click to view and download the August 2022 Issue Brief: More Than an Insurance Card: How Medicaid expansion will increase the services of NC Community Health Centers and improve health outcomes.
A new analysis of North Carolina Community Health Center data released this week shows that expanding Medicaid would not only directly benefit individuals gaining coverage, but it would also significantly increase revenue for North Carolina’s Community Health Centers (CHCs), allowing health centers to expand services and serve more patients. On average, net increases in reimbursements to CHCs would jump by 32.2 percent annually—for health care services they are already providing to their uninsured patients.
CHCs play an important role as safety-net providers in medically underserved communities. While these Centers do their job well with limited resources, they face challenges because North Carolina has not yet expanded Medicaid. While CHCs are the provider of choice for hundreds of thousands of insured patients, an average of 40 percent of CHC patients are uninsured, putting a strain on CHC operating budgets.
Because CHCs are required to reinvest all non-grant funds into programs that expand care access for the medically underserved, expanding Medicaid will promote financial stability for these critical safety net providers and allow them to increase capacity.
“Under Medicaid expansion, we would be getting an additional $3-4 million a year in revenue from Medicaid. Those are dollars that Federally Qualified Health Centers will reinvest into new services and new practice locations,” said Chris Vann, chief development officer at CommWell Health, a Community Health Center with sites in five counties throughout the southeastern region of North Carolina.
Medicaid expansion would also enable CHCs to make investments in expanding access to care by recruiting more providers to rural communities and expanding service lines like behavioral health and Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) services.
“With Medicaid expansion, we can add comprehensive specialties such as cardiology, podiatry, or ophthalmology practices to support our patients with comorbid conditions that we see frequently, like hypertension and diabetes,” said Scot McCray, CEO of Advance Community Health in Raleigh.
By keeping patients out of the ER and preventing hospitalizations, CHCs help reduce health care spending by approximately 29 percent per patient per year, making health centers a remarkable investment for health care dollars.
“While we understand that some lawmakers are concerned that expanding Medicaid would create a strain on provider capacity, our research shows that Medicaid expansion would, in fact, bolster our providers’ capacity. Medicaid expansion would mean that our Community Health Centers, who now serve a significant portion of uninsured patients, would receive reimbursements for care that was previously uncompensated, allowing health centers to increase capacity by hiring more staff and expanding programs to serve more patients,” said Brendan Riley, NCCHCA’s Vice President of Government Relations & External Affairs.
For a detailed look at how Medicaid Expansion would impact Community Health Centers and their patients, refer to the North Carolina Community Health Center Association’s August 2022 Issue Brief: More Than an Insurance Card: How Medicaid expansion will increase the services of NC Community Health Centers and improve health outcomes.
About CHCs: Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), also known as Community Health Centers (CHCs), which provide integrated primary medical, dental, pharmacy, behavioral health, and enabling services to more than 743,000 people in the state, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay. By mission, Community Health Centers provide high-quality care in rural and medically underserved communities and to vulnerable populations, and as such are the backbone of the primary care safety net in North Carolina.
About NCCHCA: The North Carolina Community Health Center Association represents 42 Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) member organizations that provide integrated medical, dental, pharmacy, behavioral health, and enabling services to more than 743,000 patients at over 370 clinical service sites in 85 N.C. counties.
Click the link to view and download the two-page Issue Brief: More Than an Insurance Card: How Medicaid expansion will increase the services of NC Community Health Centers and improve health outcomes
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www.NCCHCA.org | 4917 Waters Edge Drive, Suite 165, Raleigh, NC 27606 | 919-469-5701
***Media Advisory***
August 4, 2022
Dozens of Sites Celebrate National Community Health Center Week, August 7-13
Federally Qualified Health Centers to Host Public Officials, Hold Ribbon Cuttings, Provide Free Health Services, and Engage in Public Outreach
Who: The North Carolina Community Health Center Association (NCCCHA), which represents 42 Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) member organizations that provide integrated medical, dental, pharmacy, behavioral health, and enabling services to more than 685,000 patients at over 370 clinical service sites in 85 N.C. counties.
Contacts: Stacie Borrello, NCCHCA Communications & External Affairs Manager | borrellos@ncchca.org, 919-996-9208; Brendan Riley, NCCHCA VP, Government Relations & External Affairs| rileyb@ncchca.org, 919-469-1116
National Health Center Week, August 7-13, 2022, is an annual, nationwide celebration of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), also known as Community Health Centers (CHCs), which provide integrated primary care services to the entire community regardless of insurance status or ability to pay at over 370 sites across North Carolina. The goal of the week-long event is to raise awareness about the mission and value of CHCs and celebrate the contributions of staff, stakeholders, and — most of all — patients, who make up a majority of all CHC governing boards. CHCs across the state are holding over 30 public events in celebration:
The North Carolina Community Health Center Association encourages press to attend public events during National Health Center Week to report on the innovative ways our CHCs provide high-quality primary care and enabling services to underserved communities, furthering their mission of improving health outcomes and reducing health disparities.
Click here for a list of the public National Health Center Week Events happening across North Carolina next week. (Click the page numbers at the bottom to view all events.)
Learn more about National Health Center Week at https://healthcenterweek.org. Please reach out to the NCCHCA contacts above for more event details or assistance connecting with a CHC. 
At the 2022 Primary Care Conference in Wilmington, the North Carolina Community Health Center Association (NCCHCA) held an awards luncheon to honor a bi–partisan group of lawmakers who have consistently advocated for the needs of Community Health Centers and our patients.
The Association presented N.C. State Senator Jim Perry (R-Lenoir, Wayne) with our Community Health Advocate of the Year Award, which is presented to lawmakers who have made significant contributions toward the development and support of Community Health Centers and the communities they serve within the past year. Thanks to Senator Perry’s leadership, North Carolina has enacted protections for affordable medications and other critical Community Health Centers services made possible through the 340B drug discount program. 
NCCHCA also recognized three retiring members of Congress with the Association’s Community Health Champion Legacy Award, which honors their longstanding service, dedication, and advocacy on behalf of Community Health Centers and the patients and communities we serve across North Carolina.
This year’s Community Health Champion Legacy Awardees were:
While they were not able to attend the luncheon in person, the honorees accepted their awards with pre-recorded remarks that were played for attendees.
While we took time to reflect on our shared accomplishments and express gratitude to those policy makers who share our mission, we also looked ahead to our future policy goals, which include expanding Medicaid, protecting the 340B Drug Discount Program, and enhancing Community Health Center funding to support the expansion of needed programs such as increased behavioral health services.
The Association Notes the Transformative Impact HB 149 Will Have on Patient Care and CHC Operations
The North Carolina Community Health Center Association applauds the N.C. Senate’s passage of HB 149, which would expand Medicaid coverage to hundreds of thousands of uninsured North Carolinians and strengthen the state’s Community Health Centers (CHCs), which provide comprehensive primary care services in rural and medically underserved communities without regard to patients’ ability to pay.
Medicaid expansion is the single most transformative state policy the N.C. General Assembly can enact to increase health care access and strengthen the primary care safety net. “Not only will Medicaid expansion help Community Health Centers enhance and expand the services we provide to medically underserved communities, but it will also enable hundreds of thousands of our state’s residents to live healthier lives with more secure access to the care they need,” said Reuben C. Blackwell, IV, President and CEO of OIC of Rocky Mount and Chair of the NCCHCA Board of Directors. “For the sake of our patients and our health care providers, it’s crucial that the North Carolina General Assembly take this important step of expanding Medicaid.”
Statewide, 40 percent of CHC patients are uninsured, while uninsured rates for individual health centers are as high as 70 to 80 percent. When CHCs lack reimbursement for the essential services they provide, it strains their operating budgets and prevents them from expanding their capacity to reach more patients. Expanding Medicaid would also save patients the burden of living with worsening health conditions because they fear the cost of seeking treatment.
In addition to improving health care access and outcomes for patients, Medicaid expansion would generate increased revenue for CHCs, enabling them to hire more clinical staff, extend the availability of services into new areas of the state, and expand needed programs, such as addiction treatment, mobile medical units, and dental services.
We applaud the N.C. Senate for this historic action and call on N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore and the rest of the N.C. House delegation to pass Medicaid expansion to deliver the health care solutions that are vitally important to the health and economic well-being of our state.
September 20, 2021.
Raleigh, NC: The Medication Cost Transparency Act (Senate Bill 257) was signed into law today by Governor Roy Cooper after unanimously passing both chambers of the NC General Assembly earlier this month. This critical legislation protects North Carolinians’ access to care in rural and underserved communities of the state by outlawing discrimination by Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) against Community Health Centers’ (CHCs’) pharmacy programs over their participation in the 340B Drug Discount program. Thanks to these efforts, North Carolina’s CHCs can continue doing what they do best—provide comprehensive primary care services, including medical, behavioral health, dental, and pharmacy care, to North Carolinians in rural and underserved communities without regard for their insurance status or ability to pay.
The 340B Drug Discount program enables CHCs to stretch scarce federal resources as far as possible, reaching more patients and providing more comprehensive health care services. By discounting the cost of medications for health centers, the 340B program enables health centers to provide affordable medications for their patients and reinvest savings into other key services, like behavioral health, dental, and school-based health programs.
In recent years, PBMs found ways to “pickpocket” CHCs’ 340B savings through discriminatory contracts, boosting PBMs’ bottom lines by forcing CHCs to give up the savings that were meant to benefit their vulnerable patients. If not for Senate Bill 257, 94% of participating Community Health Centers may have to cut patient services supported by 340B savings
On behalf of the state’s 42 Community Health Center organizations that cared for over 685,000 patients in 2020, the North Carolina Community Health Center Association (NCCHCA) thanks Governor Cooper for signing this bill into law, and we extend our gratitude to our leaders in the NC General Assembly, especially Senator Jim Perry and Representative Wayne Sasser, for protecting the primary care safety net as part of this legislative effort.
Raleigh, NC – – The North Carolina Community Health Center Association (NCCHCA) recognizes and applauds the critical role of its member community health centers (CHCs) in the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and, as such, supports their efforts to protect CHC staff and the communities they serve through vaccination against the disease caused by the COVID-19 virus.
Vaccination against COVID-19 has been proven to dramatically reduce the risk of severe illness, hospitalization or death from the virus. Since January of this year, North Carolina’s CHCs have been key partners in delivering vaccines both to their patients, many of who represent vulnerable, underserved populations, and to their communities as a whole. NC CHCs have delivered over a quarter of a million vaccines to date. Clinical data has shown the COVID-19 vaccines to be extraordinarily safe and effective, and the best tool to end the pandemic. With the FDA’s full approval of the Pfizer vaccine on Monday, August 23, consumers can be even more confident about the efficacy and safety of the vaccine.
NCCHCA supports member CHC policies that encourage all employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and regularly test those not yet vaccinated, but also acknowledges that each CHC is unique and each organization maintains the autonomy to evaluate and determine the appropriate strategy for ensuring the safety and health of their staff and patients. Additionally, NCCHCA also supports CHCs’ efforts to provide easily accessible, free vaccines to all in their community who desire them, and to be a trusted partner in educating community members on the importance of COVID-19 vaccination.
“Our job at NCCHCA is to act as a support system for our member community health centers and provide them with tools and resources so they can carry out their missions,” stated Chris Shank, CEO and President of NCCHCA. Shank continued, “Through continuous discussions, we are working with our members to aid them in developing vaccine strategies tailored to their individual staff and patient circumstance. Some of our members, along with the NCCHCA, have mandated staff COVID-19 vaccinations and testing requirements for unvaccinated staff while other members are continuing to evaluate their future plans. I am incredibly proud of the way our members have responded to the pandemic and continue to take actions that are in the best interest of their communities.”
Reuben Blackwell, chair of the NCCHCA board and chief executive officer of OIC of Rocky Mount, a NCCHCA CHC member added, “I am deeply worried about the effects of the virus that results from COVID-19 on North Carolina’s most vulnerable folks who also happen to be Community Health Center patients and staff. I hope that, like I did, staff will protect themselves as well as their communities by getting this safe, effective, and free vaccine to protect against this virus.”
For Immediate Release. Contact: Leslie Wolcott, Communications & Emergency Preparedness. Wolcottl@ncchca.org
NCCHCA’s member Community Health Centers (CHCs) are grateful for the announcement this week from the Biden Administration of an important investment in Community Health Centers. This investment, in CHCs across the United States, is intended to increase access to and confidence in the COVID19 vaccine. You can see the North Carolina awards here. NCCHCA expects the funds to be available within the next month. Additional funding announcements for NC’s 3 CHC look-alikes have not yet been made, but are expected.
NC CHCs are extremely thankful that the federal funding opportunity will support a variety of current and anticipated future health center needs related to COVID-19 and, in some cases, cover unreimbursed costs health centers incurred since the pandemic first hit the U.S. dating back to January 31, 2020. Support is also available for basic primary and preventive services not only to maintain current health center services, but also to address “recovery and stabilization” activities in anticipation of serving pent-up demand for different services that people have been postponing due to the pandemic.
During the pandemic, which has now stretched over a year, North Carolina’s Community Health Centers have continued to deliver excellent and affordable primary and other health care services to every patient who needs them, regardless of ability to pay. Beyond that, they have worked to re-engineer both physical spaces and patient flows to protect the health of staff, patients, and the surrounding community. They’ve conducted hundreds of thousands of COVID19 tests, delivered care via telehealth to those who were not comfortable attending in person, and now they are on the front lines of vaccinating America’s most vulnerable populations.
While this funding is generous and much needed, it is specific to COVID19 response and vaccine administration. Community Health Centers in North Carolina continue to fulfill their mission of comprehensive care to hundreds of thousands of patients, with 42% being uninsured. North Carolina is yet to join 38 other states in the expansion of Medicaid, and NC CHCs stand in the breech to provide care and promote our communities’ overall wellness. One of the ways that CHCs benefit patients—by providing discounted medications thanks to a program called 340B—is under threat by those who would pickpocket the savings that health centers now invest in providing more services to patients. Without access to affordable medications, it is challenging for patients to control chronic conditions or recover from illnesses.
North Carolina’s Community Health Centers will, as they always have, squeeze every last penny out of this federal funding to vaccinate the underserved and historically marginalized populations where they have long existed as trusted community partners. They will deliver vaccines safely, efficiently, and with the kindness that they have displayed across the state for many years.
But North Carolina’s Community Health Centers ask the public and elected officials to remember: Our charge is much larger than Covid response. It includes vulnerable and underserved populations with diabetes, heart disease, cancers, and many other chronic and acute needs. These will continue to exist in North Carolina long after COVID is under control. Federal support for COVID relief is just one piece in the puzzle of long-term sustainable funding for CHCs. NC CHCs will continue to care for all their patients, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay, and strive to be ready for the next health emergency, the next pandemic, or the next hurricane as an essential part of NC’s health care safety net.
For more information, contact:
Elaine A. Ellis
VP, Communication and Marketing
North Carolina Medical Society
(919) 272-4027 (cell)
eellis@ncmedsoc.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RALEIGH — As a broad group of organizations representing your community’s physicians, physician assistants, health clinics, hospitals and local health departments, we strongly encourage everyone currently eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine to do so as soon as possible. Getting vaccinated with one of the three authorized vaccines is crucial to stemming the severity of the illness caused by the COVID-19 virus and the spread of its more transmissible variants. In addition to the 3 ‘W’s – wearing a mask, waiting six feet apart and washing your hands – getting a vaccine will help end this pandemic.
Everyone Will Have a Chance to be Vaccinated
As vaccine supply slowly increases, a growing variety of providers are administering vaccines including at vaccination clinics set up by health departments, health systems and the state, pharmacies, and, increasingly, your doctor’s office. Please take just a minute to check the state’s website as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccine finder to find a place near you offering the vaccine. These websites will help you determine your eligibility and to set up an appointment.
“We urge you to get a vaccine as soon as you’re eligible, keeping in mind our refrain that ‘those who would fare worst if they acquire the COVID-19 virus, should be vaccinated first,’” said North Carolina Medical Society President Philip Brown, Jr., MD. “Now with three effective vaccines, it won’t be long until it will be your turn to get your shot.”
To protect those most at risk of acquiring the virus and of serious illness, the state has established vaccine eligibility priorities. As supply limitations ease in the coming weeks, everyone will have the opportunity to receive a vaccine as we fight this virus together.
“We have three vaccines that are all safe, effective, and allow you to do the things you love and see the ones you love without getting sick,” said Mike Zelek, MPH, Chatham County Public Health Director and President of the North Carolina Public Health Association. “If you haven’t yet gotten your vaccine or signed up to get it when it is your turn, now is the time.”
All the Current Vaccines Are Effective
All three vaccines currently available have been shown to be effective in mitigating the severity of the illness caused by COVID-19, which not only means protecting yourself and your loved ones, but also ensuring our health system is not overwhelmed. While there are some differences between the vaccines – for instance, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses while the Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires just one – if a vaccine is available to you, please take it regardless of brand. Being vaccinated is the most important thing, not which vaccine you receive since they all offer protection.
“We all want to get back to close to normal as soon as possible. This is our shot to do just that,” said Jessica L. Triche, MD, FAAFP, President of the NC Academy of Family Physicians. “Please sign up as soon as you are eligible and take your shot regardless of the brand you receive.”
As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) makes clear, millions of people in the United States have received the authorized COVID-19 vaccines, and these vaccines have undergone the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history. This monitoring includes using both established and new safety monitoring systems to make sure that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.
“If you are wondering about which vaccine is the best for you, I’ll keep it simple, with all three vaccines being safe and effective, the best vaccine for you is the one available to you at your appointment,” said Stacie Saunders, MPH, Buncombe County Public Health Director and President of the North Carolina Association of Local Health Directors.
Remember, these vaccines cannot give you COVID-19.
“NCCHCA and its members are glad to act as trusted community partners in the delivery of all available vaccines,” said Chris Shank, NCCHCA President and CEO. “Getting COVID-19 vaccinations into the arms of all North Carolinians, no matter their income or insurance status, is critical to the mission of North Carolina’s Community Health Centers.”
Getting a COVID-19 vaccine, along with following the 3 ‘W’s public health protocols we all know so well, will bring us one step closer to regaining more certainty for the future and more control over our lives once again.
About the North Carolina Medical Society: The North Carolina Medical Society 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 provide leadership in medicine by uniting, serving and representing physicians and their health care teams to enhance the health of North Carolinians.
About the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians: The North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians, Inc. (NCAFP) is a non-profit professional association headquartered in Raleigh representing over 4,200 family physicians, family medicine residents and medical students across North Carolina. The NCAFP is a constituent chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians, based in Leawood, Kansas.
About the North Carolina Healthcare Association: Founded in 1918, North Carolina Healthcare Association (NCHA) is the united voice of the North Carolina healthcare community. Representing more than 130 hospitals, health systems, physician groups and other healthcare organizations, NCHA works with our members to improve the health of North Carolina communities by advocating for sound public policies and collaborative partnerships and by providing insights, services, support and education to expand access to high quality, efficient, affordable and integrated health care for all North Carolinians.
About the North Carolina Community Health Center Association: The North Carolina Community Health Center Association was formed in 1978 by the leadership of community health centers. NCCHCA is comprised of membership from 42 Community Health Center organizations. NCCHCA is singularly focused on the success of health centers.
About the North Carolina Association of Local Health Directors: The mission of NCALHD is to promote health, prevent disease, and protect the environment in order to ensure the public’s health in North Carolina through leadership, vision, advocacy, and commitment to the principles of public health practice in our local communities and throughout the state.
About the North Carolina Public Health Association: NCPHA is an association of individuals and organizations working to improve the public’s health through political advocacy, public awareness, professional development, and the interface between research and practice.
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Contact Leslie Wolcott, NCCHCA
To Promote Equity, White House Announces Phased Plan to Allocate Vaccines Directly to FQHCs
Declaring that equity is part of a core national strategy to address the COVID-19 pandemic, the White House Coronavirus Task Force announced a program to directly allocate a limited supply of COVID-19 vaccine to select Community Health Centers (CHCs) starting next week. While the program is starting small, with only 25 CHCs in the first week, the initiative will increase access to vaccines to over 250 health centers nationwide within the coming weeks. After that, as supply increases, HRSA and CDC will support vaccination in additional health centers with a goal of eventually distributing 1 million doses each week through this program.
While no NC CHCs are yet included in the earliest part of the rollout, NCCHCA is encouraged by the White House’s message that they value equity in vaccine delivery and CHCs’ critical role in executing that vision. However, we know this will come in stages, and we are excited to continue working with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services as they execute their plan to allocate vaccines to providers across NC with a focus on equity as well.
“Community Health Centers are grateful for the White House initiative but know that the urgency of COVID-19 means we must continue working diligently with all partners, especially NCDHHS, to get as many vaccines in arms as quickly as possible, especially to NC’s underserved populations,” said LaShun Huntley, NCCHCA Board Chair and CEO of United Health Centers in Winston Salem, NC.
To learn more about the national health center COVID vaccine program, please visit this link.
Congress also working to improve support for health centers. The National Association of Community Health Centers writes that “A stimulus package being prepared by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce recommends $7.6 billion for health centers for a number of uses including to plan, prepare for, promote, distribute, administer, and track COVID-19 vaccines and boost efforts to conduct mobile testing or vaccinations in hard-to-reach communities. The proposed funding could also be used to support workforce needs, conduct COVID-19 testing, the purchase of equipment and supplies, and an expansion of health care services and infrastructure. It also grants much-needed flexibility for health centers to cover the costs related to addressing the pandemic starting from the date of the Public Health Emergency declaration on January 31, 2020.”
Other announcements around the massive effort to vaccinate Americans against COVID19 include direct shipments to chain pharmacies and increased shipments to states. NCCHCA is excited about all the ways the nation is tackling this huge challenge, and member Community Health Centers will continue to do what they do best: act as trusted partners to underserved communities, providing primary and other health care services while also being on the front lines of testing and vaccination efforts. This work, though, takes remarkable levels of staffing under great pressure. It also requires resources like additional community locations, PPE, and partnerships with local EMS and law enforcement to manage traffic at these events. Any additional resources allocated to Community Health Centers will be immediately put to best use to address these challenges during the pandemic.
