MEDIA ADVISORY
June 7, 2023
NCCHCA Presents 2023 Community Health Leadership Award to Governor Roy Cooper at Annual Conference
The North Community Health Center Association (NCCHCA), the state’s Primary Care Association representing 43 community health center organizations, hosts its 44th Annual Primary Care Conference (PCC) this week in Durham, NC. More than 350 health care providers, executives, and staff from safety-net organizations will discuss leadership, workforce, Medicaid expansion, clinical topics, improving patient care, and more. In addition, NCCHCA has partnered with the North Carolina School Based Health Alliance this year to offer a track on school-based health services.
As part of the annual event, NCCHCA Board Chair Michelle Lewis, CEO of Triad Adult and Pediatric Medicine, presented the association’s 2023 Community Health Leadership Award to Governor Roy Cooper, in recognition of his strong leadership in passing Medicaid expansion, which will extend health care coverage to hundreds of thousands of people in North Carolina.
Saying that this award was thanks to the hard work of the assembled members of the primary care workforce, Governor Cooper thanked attendees for their sacrifice during COVID and their commitment to health equity in underserved communities, saying, “You chose a path that puts you with people who need you most.” Emphasizing his belief that all people should have some type of health care coverage, Governor Cooper also spoke of his plan to invest more than $1 billion to expand access to behavioral health care in the state.
NC Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore are also recipients of the 2023 Community Health Leadership Award for leading their chambers to passage of this important health policy.
In addition, NC Representative Donny Lambeth is the recipient of NCCHCA’s 2023 NC Community Health Advocate of the Year award, in recognition of his long-time championship of Medicaid expansion.
Medicaid expansion will have a significant positive impact on community health centers and the patients they serve, without regard to insurance status or ability to pay. Currently, 36% of patients seen at North Carolina’s Federally Qualified Community Health Centers (FQHCs) are uninsured. Medicaid expansion means that health centers will receive reimbursement for the care they provide to patients who have gained health coverage through expansion. This increase in reimbursements for care will enable health centers to expand their staff or add new programs or sites.
Additionally, North Carolina State Treasurer Dale Folwell addressed PCC attendees on Thursday, June 8. After his address, he presented two community health center organizations with refund payments to bring attention to the Unclaimed Property Division.
About NCCHCA: The North Carolina Community Health Center Association represents 43 Community Health Center (CHC) organizations that operate over 400 clinical sites in 85 N.C. counties and served 743,000 patients in 2021. CHCs are federally funded, non-profit organizations that provide integrated primary, dental, and behavioral health care to underserved and rural communities, without regard for insurance status or ability to pay.
CONTACT: Stacie Borrello, Communications and External Affairs Manager, North Carolina Community Health Center Association, 919-996-9208, borrellos@ncchca.org. Members of the press can inquire about limited access to the event and/or interviews with spokespeople.
