Caring Community Health Center

CARING COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER OPERATES TO: -IMPROVE THE HEALTH STATUS OF THE MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED INDIVIDUALS IN THE SERVICE AREA BY PROVIDING AFFORDABLE, COMPREHENSIVE AND HIGH QUALITY PRIMARY AND SPECIALTY MEDICAL CARE SERVICES, ENSURING THAT NO INDIVIDUAL IS DENIED CARE DUE TO INABILITY TO PAY. -RENDER DIGNIFIED, CULTURALLY SENSITIVE CARE IN A BARRIER FREE, PATIENT- CENTRIC ENVIRONMENT. -ASSURE AND PROMOTE AVAILABILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY OF HEALTHCARE SERVICES PROVIDED. -EDUCATE AND EMPOWER THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF PREVENTIVE AND ROUTINE HEALTH CARE SERVICES TO PROMOTE AND ENCOURAGE PREVENTIVE HEALTH MAINTENANCE. -MONITOR THE HEALTH CARE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY AND INTEGRATE NEEDS ASSESSMENTS INTO SERVICE DELIVERY PLANNING TO MEET THE CHANGING NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY. -WORK COOPERATIVELY WITH FEDERAL, STATE AND CITY AGENCIES TO ENSURE LEVERAGING OF RESOURCES AND MAXIMUM UTILIZATION AND BENEFITS TO MEET THE USER SERVICE AREA NEEDS. -NETWORK WITH OTHER COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANI

CARING COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER (CCHC) WAS ESTABLISHED TO OPERATE A PRIMARY CARE MEDICAL CLINIC IN THE COMMUNITIES OF WILKES-BARRE AND HAZLETON, PENNSYLVANIA, FOCUSING ON SERVING THE UNINSURED AND MEDICAID-INSURED POPULATIONS OF THOSE COMMUNITIES. THANKS TO THE START-UP DONATIONS AND FUNDING IT RECEIVED, CCHC APPLIED FOR FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTER (FQHC) LOOK-ALIKE STATUS AND WAS APPROVED BY THE HEALTH RESOURCES & SERVICE ADMINISTRATION (HRSA) EFFECTIVE FOR JANUARY 2021. FQHCS ARE COMMUNITY-BASED AND PATIENT-DIRECTED ORGANIZATIONS THAT DELIVER COMPREHENSIVE, CULTURALLY COMPETENT, HIGH-QUALITY PRIMARY HEALTH CARE SERVICES. FQHCS ALSO OFTEN INTEGRATE ACCESS TO PHARMACY, MENTAL HEALTH, SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER, AND ORAL HEALTH SERVICES IN AREAS WHERE ECONOMIC, GEOGRAPHIC, OR CULTURAL BARRIERS LIMIT ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE SERVICES. FQHCS DELIVER CARE TO A COMMUNITY'S MOST VULNERABLE INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES, INCLUDING PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, AGRICULTURAL WORKERS, RESIDENTS OF PUBLIC HOUSING, AND VETERANS. CCHC WILL CONTINUE TO MEET HRSA'S REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN ITS FQHC LOOK-ALIKE STATUS AND WILL LOOK TO EXPAND ITS SERVICE AREA AND PROGRAMMING TO PROVIDE PRIMARY HEALTH CARE SERVICES TO THE PATIENT POPULATIONS IT SERVES. DURING 2021, CCHC PERFORMED MULTIPLE COVID VACCINE OUTREACH CLINICS WITH THE GOAL OF REACHING OUR VULNERABLE POPULATION. VACCINES WERE ADMINISTERED AT A HISPANIC COMMUNITY CENTER FOCUSING ON OUR HISPANIC POPULATION. ALSO, OF LARGE FOCUS WAS ADMININSTERING BOOSTER VACCINES TO OUR ELDERLY POPULATIONS WHO HAVE LIMITED OR NO TRANSPORATION. THEREFORE, OUTREACH CLINICS WERE CONDUCTED AT LOCAL CENTERS FOR THE AREA ON AGING. CCHC ALSO CONDUCTED AN IN-HOUSE FAMILY VACCINE CLINIC WITH WHICH WE WERE ABLE TO DEDICATE STAFF TO SOLEY ADMINISTERING THE COVID VACCINE FOR INDIVIDUALS OF FIVE YEARS AND OLDER. AT EACH VACCINE OUTREACH CLINIC, STAFF HAD PROVIDED EDUCATION, LOCATIONS, AND THE LATEST CDC GUIDELINES REGARDING TESTING OPPORTUNITIES AND WHEN TESTING IS WARRANTED. IN ADDITION TO PERFORMING OUTREACH CLINICS, SEVERAL CCHC STAFF JOINED FORCES WITH SEVERAL LOCAL UNIVERSITIES AND THE LOCAL CHAPTER OF THE NAACP TO CONDUCT A ZOOM SESSION TITLED DEBUNKING THE COVID VACCINE MYTH. THIS ZOOM SESSION WAS LARGELY SUCCESSFUL REACHING AREA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AND GENERAL MINORITY POPULATIONS. UNCOMPENSATED CARE CARING COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER RECOGNIZES ITS MISSION IS TO SERVE ALL MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY WITH RESPECT TO THE PROVISION OF HEALTHCARE SERVICES AND EDUCATION. CCHC PROVIDES QUALITY MEDICAL HEALTHCARE REGARDLESS OF RACE, CREED, SEX, NATIONAL ORIGIN, HANDICAP, AGE OR ABILITY TO PAY. IN THIS REGARD, CCHC PROVIDES FREE OR SUBSIDIZED CARE BELOW COST AND SUPPORTS VARIOUS HEALTH-RELATED ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMS IN SUPPORT OF THE COMMUNITY. CCHC OFFERS A SLIDING FEE DISCOUNT PROGRAM FOR PATIENTS WHO MEET CERTAIN CRITERIA UNDER ITS SLIDING FEE SCALE POLICY. THE SLIDING FEES ARE AMOUNTS LESS THAN ESTABLISHED RATES. CHARITY CARE THE PRIMARY CONCERN OF CCHC IS THE DELIVERY OF HEALTHCARE TO ALL CITIZENS OF NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA REGARDLESS OF THEIR ABILITY TO PAY. THE UNREIMBURSED COST OF CHARITY CARE REPRESENTS THE COST CCHC INCURS BY PROVIDING FREE OR DISCOUNTED SERVICES TO THOSE WHO CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY. THE COST OF THE CHARITY CARE WAS 188,718 DURING THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2021. MEDICARE/MEDICAID/OTHER GOVERNMENTAL IN RECOGNIZING ITS MISSION TO THE COMMUNITY, CCHC PROVIDES SERVICES TO THE ELDERLY (MEDICARE) AND THE INDIGENT (MEDICAID). CCHC PROVIDES CARE BELOW COST TO PERSONS COVERED BY THESE GOVERNMENTAL PROGRAMS. TO THE EXTENT THE GOVERNMENT REIMBURSEMENT IS BELOW THE COST OF PROVIDING HEALTH CARE, CCHC IS FURTHERING ITS CHARITABLE MISSION. THE UNREIMBURSED VALUE OF MEDICARE, MEDICAID, AND OTHER GOVERNMENTAL PAYERS IS EQUAL TO THE COST OF PROVIDING SERVICES LESS THE AMOUNT RECEIVED AS REIMBURSEMENT UNDER THE PROGRAM. THE UNREIMBURSED COST OF PROVIDING CARE TO THESE PATIENTS WAS 3,262,374 DURING THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2021. OTHER UNCOMPENSATED PATIENT SERVICES IN ADDITION, CCHC PROVIDES SERVICES FOR WHICH FULL PAYMENT IS NOT RECEIVED. THE UNCOMPENSATED COST OF PROVIDING SUCH PATIENT SERVICES DURING THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2021, WAS 367,046. COMMUNITY SERVICE SUMMARY MEDICARE/MEDICAID/OTHER GOVERNMENTAL 3,262,374 CHARITY CARE 188,718 OTHER UNCOMPENSATED CARE 367,046 TOTAL 3,818,138