WATERVILLE — In conjunction with the National Association of Community Health Centers, HealthReach Community Health Centers is observing National Health Center Week from Aug. 9-15. An annual event for more than 30 years, the week’s theme for 2020 is “Community Health Centers: Lighting the Way for Healthier Communities Today and in the Future”.
Community Health Centers, with roots both in the civil rights movement of the 1960s and President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty, were established with the mission to not only improve health outcomes for residents of communities where there has been the most need, but also empower those community members by connecting them to necessary resources and support.
“Beyond being a resource for healthcare services, community health centers are uniquely situated to collaborate with our communities to create a healthier future,” said Amy Madden, physician at Belgrade Regional Health Center and HealthReach’s clinical medical director. “Part of this work involves gaining insight into what our patients identify to be important issues to their health, and then working with community partners to address those needs. This collaboration is essential for the future health of our communities.”
The community-based model of health care has endured for over 50 years, and Community Health Centers serve as the primary medical home for more than 29 million individuals living in 12,000 urban and rural areas of the United States. Since the opening of its first health center in Bingham in 1975, HealthReach underwent various changes before arriving at its current structure: a network of 11 Federally Qualified Health Centers in central and western Maine.
As part of the network, HealthReach has continued to create a legacy of community service and collaboration while providing high quality medical, behavioral and dental services to over 28,000 Maine residents and visitors in more than 80 rural communities. To ensure access to everyone, HealthReach accepts Medicare, MaineCare and major insurances. In addition, staff members offer assistance with applications for programs that help with the cost of health care and medications, including the Health Insurance Marketplace.
A private non-profit with a 45-year history, HealthReach is funded by patient fees, grants and by the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It has 11 locations in western and central Maine, including in Bethel, Belgrade, Bingham, Albion (Lovejoy Health Center), Kingfield (Mount Abram Regional Health Center), Madison, Rangeley, Richmond, Pittsfield (Sheepscot Valley Health Center), Strong and Livermore Falls (Western Maine Health Center).
