WHEREAS, for more than 50 years, community health centers have provided high-quality, affordable, and comprehensive primary and preventative care in our nation’s underserved communities; and
WHEREAS, in North Carolina, 42 community health center organizations offer sites in 85 counties and care for more than 743,000 people across the state per year, most of whom are uninsured or receive Medicaid or Medicare; and
WHEREAS, community health centers are strategically located in areas with underserved populations or special populations that need medical services and focus on reducing health disparities; and
WHEREAS, community health centers served as beacons of essential resources and support in testing and treatment in the face of the global coronavirus pandemic, and will continue to offer reliable, affordable, high-quality care for America’s most vulnerable and underserved communities; and
WHEREAS, community health centers are constantly developing new approaches to medical service to meet the necessities of their communities by treating patients for a fraction of the average cost of one emergency room visit, lowering the cost of children’s primary care by as much as 35 percent, and 29 percent in health care costs per Medicaid patient; and
WHEREAS, community health centers nationally employ more than 500,000 people, including physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and certified nurse-midwives, who work as part of multi-disciplinary clinical teams designed to treat the whole patient; and
WHEREAS, North Carolina’s community health centers play a vital role in our state’s health care safety net; they are innovators in health care delivery and feature a patient-governed medical home model that utilizes care teams and enables services to help patients address their medical and social needs; and
WHEREAS, the health center model removes barriers to health care access such as geography, income, and insurance status; in doing so, they improve health care outcomes and reduce health care system costs by managing chronic conditions and keeping patients out of hospital emergency rooms; and
WHEREAS, the State of North Carolina joins in celebrating National Health Center Week 2023, the theme of which is Community Health Centers: The Roadmap to a Stronger America;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim August 6 – 12, 2023, as “NATIONAL HEALTH CENTER WEEK” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.