Wisconsin Community Health Centers support access to care

Madison, WI – Community Health Centers support widespread access to primary and preventive care, including comprehensive medical, dental, and behavioral health, reproductive health care, and treatment services critical to keeping people healthy. Given the current uncertainty relating to the ACA and Medicaid program, we are very concerned that any potential reduction in access for any of these services will result in unnecessary disruption of care particularly for low-income families.

In order meet the needs of all patients, Community Health Centers operate within a broad network of safety net providers. Major changes or reductions to any part of that safety net have ripple effects across the entire delivery system. With 116 service delivery sites, 58 of which offer medical, Health Centers provided comprehensive care to 307,549 individuals in 2015. Some Community Health Centers have capacity to serve additional patients. Others have waiting lists and rely on other providers to address outstanding access needs.

“CHCs know the importance of being patient-centered and community-driven, and are concerned that these conversations happen without input from the patients and communities themselves, or by extension, us,” according to Stephanie Harrison, CEO of the Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association. “We appreciate the strong bipartisan support of Community Health Centers, and the confidence in our ability to serve our patients well, and want to be sure we can continue to do so.”

The mission of the Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association is to improve health through the work of Community Health Centers and their partners. Community Health Centers provide care to everyone in need, without restriction. For more information on Wisconsin Health Centers, please visit www.wphca.org.