Community Health Centers: Providers, Patients, and Content of Care

For more than 40 years, community health centers (CHCs) have provided primary care and behavioral and mental health services in medically underserved communities, regardless of a patient’s ability to pay (1). In 2001, the government launched the Federal Health Center Growth Initiative, providing funds over 5 years to increase by 60% the number of patients served in 1,200 communities. As the number of CHCs has expanded, demand for both physician and nonphysician practitioner services has inc...