What is a Health Center?

For more than 40 years, HRSA-supported health centers have provided comprehensive, culturally competent, quality primary health care services to medically underserved communities and vulnerable populations.

Health centers are community-based and patient-directed organizations that serve populations with limited access to health care. These include low income populations, the uninsured, those with limited English proficiency, migrant and seasonal farmworkers, individuals and families experiencing homelessness, and those living in public housing.

Health Center Program Fundamentals

Located in or serve a high need community (designated Medically Underserved Area or Population). Find MUAs and MUPs
Governed by a community board composed of a majority (51% or more) of health center patients who represent the population served. More about health center governance
Provide comprehensive primary health care services as well as supportive services (education, translation and transportation, etc.) that promote access to health care.
Provide services available to all with fees adjusted based on ability to pay.
Meet other performance and accountability requirements regarding administrative, clinical, and financial operations.

Who Health Centers Serve

People of all ages. Approximately 33 percent of patients in 2009 were children (age 18 and younger); about 7 percent were 65 or older.
People without and with health insurance. The proportion of uninsured patients of all ages was approximately 38% in 2009, while the number of uninsured patients increased from 4 million in 2001 to over 7.2 million in 2009.
People of all races and ethnicities. In 2009, 27 percent of health center patients were African-American and 35 percent were Hispanic/Latino--more than twice the proportion of African-Americans and over two times the proportion of Hispanics/Latinos reported in the overall U.S. population.
Special populations. In 2009, health centers served nearly 865,000 migrant and seasonal farm workers and their families; more than 1 million individuals experiencing homelessness; and more than 165,000 residents of public housing.

Types of Health Centers

Grant-Supported Federally Qualified Health Centers are public and private non-profit health care organizations that meet certain criteria under the Medicare and Medicaid Programs (respectively, Sections 1861(aa)(4) and 1905(l)(2)(B) of the Social Security Act and receive funds under the Health Center Program (Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act).
- Community Health Centers serve a variety of underserved populations and areas.
- Migrant Health Centers serve migrant and seasonal agricultural workers
- Health Care for the Homeless Programs reach out to homeless individuals and families and provide primary care and substance abuse services.
- Public Housing Primary Care Programs serve residents of public housing and are located in or adjacent to the communities they serve.
Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alikes are health centers that have been identified by HRSA and certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as meeting the definition of “health center” under Section 330 of the PHS Act, although they do not receive grant funding under Section 330.
Outpatient health programs/facilities operated by tribal organizations (under the Indian Self-Determination Act, P.L. 96-638) or urban Indian organizations (under the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, P.L. 94-437).