Health centers provide medical, dental, mental health, substance use, and other services. They focus on the needs of each patient, and they make sure their providers work together to provide the best care.
Who health centers serve
In 2024, more than 32.4 million people used HRSA-funded health centers for care. This included:
- 1 in 8 children
- 25.1 million uninsured, Medicaid, and Medicare patients
- 1 in 5 rural residents
- More than 1 in 15 patients 65 or older
- 408,000 Veterans
About 90% of these patients had incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level.
How health centers provide care
In 2024, health centers responded to the needs of their communities by providing access to affordable, comprehensive, high-quality primary health care services through 139.4 million total visits.
Health centers play a key role in chronic disease prevention and management. In 2024, health centers:
- Ensured over 3.6 million patients had controlled hypertension
- Helped more than 2.2 million patients control their diabetes
- Screened 4.6 million pediatric patients for weight assessment and nutrition counseling
Health centers ensure access to preventive health screenings. In 2024, they screened:
- Almost 2.0 million patients for breast cancer
- Over 4.4 million patients for cervical cancer
- Over 3.6 million patients for colorectal cancer
In 2024, health centers:
- Provided mental health services to 3.0 million patients
- Screened more than 74% of teen and adult patients for depression
What impact health centers have
- Health center patients have better outcomes at lower cost. This is true even though health centers treat people who are sicker and have lower income.
- When they receive care at a health center, patients make less use of more costly care choices, such as emergency rooms and hospitals.
- According to the most recent Health Center Patient Survey, 97% of patients would recommend their health center to family or friends.