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accessHealthNews.net
July 2025
Volume 11 | Issue No. 98
Mary Beth Taranow, a retired operating room nurse
In August 2025, communities across the
United States will mark a milestone—the
60th anniversary of the Community Health
Center (CHC) movement—during National
Health Center Week (NHCW). Scheduled
from Aug. 3 to Aug. 9, this annual
observance is more than a celebration;
it's a strategic moment to showcase the
essential work and enduring legacy of
health centers nationwide.
CHCs, from urban neighborhoods to rural
regions, have provided vital care since
the 1960s. Born out of the Civil Rights
Movement and President Lyndon B.
Johnson's War on Poverty, these centers
were created to confront the racial
and economic injustices that had long
shaped health outcomes in the United
States. The first CHCs—established in
Boston's Columbia Point housing project
and in Mound Bayou, Mississippi—served
predominantly Black and low-income
populations who had been systematically
excluded from care. These early models
didn't just treat illness; they tackled the
social conditions driving poor health, with
community members helping to govern
and shape services. Sixty years later,
that mission remains unchanged: CHCs
continue to deliver care designed for—
and with—the people they serve.
To understand how CHCs continue fulfilling
this mission today, it's important to look at
how they are structured and supported.
These centers are a category of safety-
net providers that deliver comprehensive,
culturally responsive care regardless of
patients' ability to pay.
READ MORE
"Unity is crucial. Health centers are facing financial and
staffing challenges nationwide. Our strength comes from
speaking with a unified voice about our indispensable role in
America's health care landscape."
- Kyu Rhee,
MD, MPP, President and CEO of NACHC
