As the nation gears up to meet the needs of an estimated 32 million newly insured Americans, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act underwrites the community health centers with the expectation to serve nearly 20 million new patients by 2015, on top of the existing 20 million patients CHCs currently serve. The Community Health Center Trust Fund set up by the health reform act will inject 11 billion dollars over five years into the CHC program to hopefully double the number of patients served.

The Oregon Primary Care Association is here to provide resources and assistance to communities interested in learning more about creating a Community Health Center.

Below you will find links to resources that will provide information on becoming a community health center:

• So You Want to Start a Health Center Guidebook from the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) (2011, Latest Edition)
• NACHC website Growth and Development Section (Supplement to the NACHC guidebook)
• Health Center Program (Health Center Program Grant Funding website section from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Primary Health Care)
• Key Health Center Program Requirements (Essential program requirements to review when considering becoming a Health Center)

OPCA has created two documents to help guide OPCA, their members, other organizations and communities through this upcoming growth process:

• Principles of Growth and Expansion
• Protocol for Consideration of OPCA Clinic Members and Other Organizations Planning to Serve Overlapping Population

Oregon Access Plan

Also, it is with this expectation of growth that the Oregon Primary Care Association create the Oregon Access Plan.  This plan intends to strengthen and support a responsible and sustainable path toward expanding Oregon CHCs by providing useful data and information in three key areas:

• The current safety net/CHC landscape in Oregon.
• Projected growth and expansion of CHCs in Oregon over the next five years.
• Summary of Opportunities and challenges that could impact expansion.  These issues include:

        - Oregon health policy landscape

        - Primary care workforce

        - Lack of capital funds

        - Ensuring quality by changing the way we pay for health services.

The Oregon Primary Care Association brought together its members, interested communities and entities, partners and other stakeholders together to discuss the Oregon Access Plan on April 30, 2010.  We presented data and information that provided the basis for the Oregon Access Plan document you will find below.

For more details read the Oregon Access Plan: Fall 2010 Edition, "A Roadmap for Improved Health Care Access for all Oregonians." 

For more information, please contact:

Claire Tranchese

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(503) 228-8852