Northwest Colorado Visiting Nurse Association’s Community Health Center (CHC) is recognizing National Health Center Week 2012 August 5-11.  Community Health Centers all over the United States are nonprofit providers with a mission to provide comprehensive primary health care in a medical home.

Medical homes are valuable and necessary. When people have a place to go for regular care, they use it and stay healthy. CHC provides quality, affordable primary care to the community and so much more. Patients not only get the care they need under one roof, but they are treated as individuals, with dignity and respect. This is what health care should be, and what we celebrate during National Health Center Week.

CHC Quick Facts

• Almost 3,500 people have gone to CHC for their health care since the beginning of 2011 with 5,000 medical visits and 840 behavioral health visits.
• All services are offered on a sliding fee scale based on income and family size. Private insurance, Medicaid and Medicare are also accepted.  A family of four making less than $44,700 is eligible for a reduction in price.
• CHC providers focus on prevention and education to keep people healthy.
• CHC offers same day and next day appointments for many urgent situations.
• 82% of CHC clients come from Moffat County, 14% from Routt and the remaining 4% are from surrounding counties and Wyoming.
• After hours, a bilingual answering service staffed by nurses is available for patients with medical questions and emergency situations.
• To help people determine if patients need to be seen by a doctor immediately, a medical professional (triage) talks to more than 200 people per month.  If they cannot manage their condition at home, a same day appointment is made.
• CHC helps qualifying patients without prescription drug coverage get the medicines they need. In the first 6 months of 2012, 150 applications for more than 70 clients were successfully processed and the clients received $ 150,000 worth in prescription assistance.
• CHC employs 2 physicians, 2 physician assistants, 1 nurse practitioner, 5 medical assistants, 1 behavioral health specialist.
• After an extensive remodel, CHC provides care in 12 examination rooms for patients. The funding for the remodel project was provided by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds.
• CHC is a division of Northwest Colorado Visiting Nurse Association, a 501(c) 3 and is supported locally by the Moffat County Commissioners and Moffat County United Way.

For more information or to make an appointment call 824-8233 or log onto www.blog.northwestcoloradohealth.org.

Sincerely,
Diana Hornung, MD – Medical Director
Anna Lundeen, MD
Kim Boyce, PA-C
Frani Jenkins, PA-C
Suzanne Holm, NP
Gisela Garrison – Director of Health Center
Northwest Colorado Visiting Nurse Association Community Health Center