Quick Facts

Community Health Centers have been providing comprehensive, accessible, affordable, quality primary and preventive health care for over 40 years.

Today, 32 Michigan Community Health Centers are the health care home for nearly 600,000 patients annually at about 170 sites across the state. Of those Community Health Centers, 28 are Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), 3 are FQHC 'Look-Alikes', and 1 is both a FQHC and a FQHC 'Look-Alike'.

Michigan Community Health Centers are part of a nationwide network of 1,250 Health Centers spread across 50 states and all U.S. territories that provide care for 20 million people (including 864,996 migrant/seasonal farmworker patients and 1,018,084 homeless patients) at over 8,000 delivery sites. (Source: www.nachc.com)

Nationally, Health Centers serve 20% of low-income, uninsured people; 70% of their patients live in poverty; they save the national health care system between $9.9 billion and $17.6 billion a year by helping patients avoid emergency rooms and making better use of preventive services. (Source: www.nachc.com)

Nearly 70% of Michigan Health Center patients have incomes that fall below the federal poverty level, and three-quarters are either insured by Medicaid or lack insurance completely.

According to the National Association of Community Health Centers' A Sketch of Community Health Centers: Chart Book 2009, 40% of CHC uninsured patients have four or more doctor visits per year compared to 22% of U.S. uninsured patients.

According to a study conducted by the Institute for Health Care Studies at Michigan State University, Michigan Community Health Centers save the Michigan Medicaid program $44.87 per member per month; these savings are likely attributed to prevention, chronic disease management, reduced pharmaceutical costs, and reduced emergency room utilization.

Community Health Centers serve as economic engines in communities, creating new jobs and resources. According to a 2009 report of the National Association of Community Health Centers, Michigan CHCs have an economic impact on the state totaling $566,912,895 and provided 5,220 jobs in communities across Michigan.

Based on a statewide capital needs survey completed in 2009, Michigan CHCs need $95 million to expand capacity to meet the needs of the state's uninsured residents over the next 7 years, including $56 million for new facilities, $11 million to expand current facilities, $13 million to renovate current facilities, $10 million to purchase new medical and other equipment, $5 million to invest in Health Information Technology.

Community Health Centers were among the first recipients of federal stimulus funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Michigan Community Health Centers have received over $46 million under ARRA, enabling them to provide care to an additional 33,621 patients, of which 28,194 are uninsured. This funding has had an economic impact in excess of $81 million. Click here for more information about Community Health Centers and ARRA funding. Click here for local success stories over the past year.

For more facts about Community Health Centers, see the Research and Reports page of the this website.