Community Health Centers: Just What The Doctor Ordered?
SIOUX FALLS, S. D. - As the government looks to cut its way to a trimmer budget deficit, one target on the chopping block is the nation's Community Health Centers. However, Stacie Fredenburg, marketing manager at the Community HealthCare Association of the Dakotas, says the centers actually save money in the long run.
Fully-funded Community Health Centers reduce the number of visits to emergency departments and hospitals, she explains. And overall, they generate $24 billion in annual savings.
"Community Health Centers save an average of $1,263 per patient, per year."
South Dakota has 37 Community Health Center locations that serve patients on a sliding fee scale. This helps hold down costs throughout the health care system, says Fredenburg.
"They have a prorated service fee based on what they can afford, so they can get in for those primary and preventive care services and to get the monitoring that they need, which will save them money in the long run."
Fredenburg says with continued investment over the next four years, health centers like those in South Dakota will double the number of patients they serve – and triple the savings to the health care system. The U.S. House-proposed budget includes more than $1 billion in cuts for Community Health Centers.
