America’s Health Centers to Mark National Health Center Week 2010

Schedule of Events to Include a Tele-Town Hall Meeting with HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and HRSA Administrator Mary Wakefield

BETHESDA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- National Health Center Week 2010 (NHCW) begins next week with a host of events scheduled at Community Health Centers from coast to coast, and a tele-town hall meeting with top health officials of the Obama Administration. To kick off NHCW, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, along with Health Resources and Services Administrator Mary Wakefield, Ph.D., will participate in a national tele-town hall meeting hosted by the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) at 3 pm EDT on Friday August 6th, and will discuss the latest news related to Community Health Centers and the impact on community health care of the landmark Affordable Care Act. The new law provides a direct investment to transform the nation’s health care delivery system and build on prevention and primary care through the expansion of health centers.

One of the bright spots in America’s health care system, Community Health Centers are the family doctor to over 20 million people at 8000 sites nationwide. Their critical role in providing quality primary care has been widely praised by bipartisan Congressional leaders and the last two White House Administrations. Health centers have also been in the public spotlight because now more than ever the uninsured and casualties of the economic recession are seeking their services. Thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 2009, health centers were able to demonstrate their ability to quickly, efficiently, and successfully direct care to areas of need. After the first year, health centers reached 2.1 million new patients and surpassed their two-year target goal of new uninsured patients (one million). Under the new health reform law, health centers stand ready to double the number of patients to 40 million - the largest expansion in health center history. The law will also support the hiring of more primary care providers and the expansion of facilities and services to typically underserved communities.

"‘Turning the Vision into Reality’ is the theme for Health Center Week,” said Tom Van Coverden, President and CEO of NACHC. “This theme highlights our deep commitment to providing high quality and cost-effective health care to all people in medically underserved areas, regardless of their ability to pay—and to assure that key preventive and primary health care services are readily available to the millions of Americans who will soon gain affordable health insurance coverage as a result of health reform.”

NHCW is sponsored by NACHC, which is grateful for the support of the corporate contributors to NHCW: BKD, Covidien, HealthPort, Henry Schein, NCB Capital Impact, NextGen Healthcare, Pfizer Helpful Answers, McGladrey, Sage, UnitedHealth Group, We Work for Health and AmeriChoice.

To find out more about the tele-town hall meeting with HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and HRSA Administrator Mary Wakefield on Friday, August 6th at 3 pm EDT, please visit www.nachc.org.

To find out more about National Health Center Week, visit www.healthcenterweek.org.



CONTACT:

National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC)
Amy Simmons, 202-309-0338 or 301-347-0476
www.nachc.org

KEYWORDS:   United States  North America  Maryland

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:   Health  Fitness & Nutrition  Public Policy/Government  Healthcare Reform  Public Policy  White House/Federal Government  General Health  Managed Care

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