To build on its 50-year history of services and support for the nation’s Community Health Centers, NACHC has launched a new Center for Community Health Innovation (CCHI).
NACHC is grateful to the RCHN Community Foundation for its generous grant to establish the CCHI, as well as for the Foundation’s 15-year record of dedicated support for the health center movement. The Foundation’s impact has been tremendous, with initiatives that have included workforce development, outreach and enrollment, population health, targeted emergency assistance, and important research and policy work.
The CCHI’s mission is to assist and support America’s Community Health Centers in their efforts to increase access to affordable, equitable, quality health care. The CCHI will help identify, develop and disseminate innovative, value-driven, replicable models necessary for success in the 21st century.
Community Health Centers have long been at the forefront of health care innovation — doing whatever necessary to put patients and communities first – COVID-19 was a good example. But what will “success” in the next two, five or ten years look like? What are the key elements of the “Health Center of the Future”?
There is no question that the primary health care landscape is changing more rapidly than ever before. Health centers not only need to keep up they must also lead to ensure patients are not left behind.
Looking ahead, how will the needs of the average health center patient change over the next several years? What workforce will be needed, and which skills are essential to serve vulnerable communities? What can health centers do now to develop a diverse pipeline of professionals? How will payment models and care delivery models change? How do we want these models to change, meet evolving community needs and keep health equity prioritized? How can competitors, including hospitals, retail clinics, and even apps be transformed into partners and collaborators?
There is no shortage of challenges ahead of us. The Center for Community Health Innovation will help address them, will leverage other opportunities, and together with health centers, PCAs and HCCNs, will build and support the “Health Center of the Future.”
As we begin our start-up phase, the CCHI has prioritized several key focus areas based on input from leaders around the country: workforce development, practice innovation models, collaborative arrangements, and research.
Please visit https://www.nachc.org/focus-areas/center-for-community-health-innovation/ often during the year to learn more as our work gets underway.