(OpEd Article) AMERICA'S HEALTH CENTERS:  YOUR HEALTH CARE HOME Steve Flack, M.D. Assistant Medical Director, Keystone Family Medicine Steve Flack, M.D. (Chambersburg, PA) --  We regularly hear about bold new health insurance reform proposals that target coverage as a sure fix for what ails our health care system.  What about access?  As a health care provider, I see first hand the critical importance of having a consistent place to go for care – a health care home.  A health care home means having a place to go to treat chronic illnesses as well as every day ailments – the common cold, a head ache, or a sore tooth – before these conditions get worse.  But the reality is that 56 million people today don’t have that option. According to a recent report by the National Association of Community Health Centers and the Robert Graham Center, one in five Americans are “medically disenfranchised” or without health care options.  They live in every state and nearly every county, representing all income levels and types of insurance coverage — and yet they all share one common struggle:  no access to basic health care. Fortunately, there is a solution thanks to federally-supported Community Health Centers like Keystone Health Center in Chambersburg.  Keystone proudly serves as the health care home for about 41,000 patients, keeping them healthy and out of the hospital.  Because our health care services are accessible and affordable to everyone, regardless of insurance status, patients are able to get treatment before their health conditions become unmanageable.  Not only do we save lives, we keep down health costs, and ease the burden on hospital emergency rooms, where $18 billion a year is wasted on avoidable visits that could have been treated elsewhere. Community Health Center’s make a difference in the lives of millions by providing not only basic medical treatment and treatment for chronic conditions, but also enabling services such as translation and social services. Studies show that a health care home yields better health and lower health care costs but, more importantly, we see those results day after day in the health outcomes of our patients and the feedback we get from the community. Our elected leaders in Washington understand the critical role of Community Health Centers in protecting and providing for the public’s health.  This year Congress passed a historic $207 million increase in funding that will allow health centers to reach out to more people.  But continued federal investment in health centers is critical and could mean an additional 30 million Americans having access to care in a health center by 2015 – nearly twice the number that have access today.  In honor of National Health Center Week, August 5-11, 2007, let’s spread the word that one can find a quality health care home at a Community Health Center.                ###

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