Silver City, NM (August 5, 2016) The "National Health Center Week 2016" campaign runs August 7-13, with the goal of raising awareness about the mission and accomplishments of America's Community Health Centers.
As one of the bright spots in America's healthcare system, community health centers started over 50 years ago as a pilot project during President Lyndon Johnson's "War on Poverty." Today, community health centers have compiled a significant record of success that includes:
- Producing $24 billion in annual health system savings;
- Reducing unnecessary hospitalizations and unnecessary visits to the emergency room;
- Treating patients for a fraction of the average cost of one emergency room visit;
- Maintaining high levels of patient satisfaction;
- Generating $26.5 billion in economic activity and over 230,000 jobs; and
- Reducing infant mortality rates.
Community health centers not only prevent illness and foster wellness in the most challenging populations; they produce innovative solutions to the most pressing healthcare issues in their communities. Community health centers reach beyond the walls of conventional medicine to address the factors that may cause sickness, such as lack of nutrition, mental illness, homelessness and addiction. Because of their long record of success in innovation, managing healthcare costs, and reducing chronic disease, leaders in Congress have declared community health centers a model of care that offers a "bipartisan solution to the primary care access problems" facing our nation.
According to Dan Otero, CEO of Hidalgo Medical Services (HMS), "HMS is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). HMS is one of over 1,200 community health centers in the United States, and HMS serves over 17,000 individuals within Hidalgo and Grant counties each year. HMS employs approximately 200 people, of which almost 50 staff members are medical, mental health or dental providers. Operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, HMS is very proud of its ability to serve the uninsured and underinsured - while simultaneously accepting all major government and commercial healthcare payers - within southwestern New Mexico. HMS truly is a comprehensive and integrated healthcare provider that positively impacts the health, wellness and overall quality of life to our residents."
To learn more about "National Health Center Week 2016," please visit www.healthcenterweek.org. Please visit www.hmsnm.org to learn more about Hidalgo Medical Services (HMS).