Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems (SVCHS) is participating in National Health Center Week 2016 as part of a national campaign, Celebrating America’s Health Centers: Innovators in Community Health. Around the country, events are being planned as part of National Health Center Week during August 7th – 13th. The purpose of the campaign is to raise awareness about the mission and accomplishments of America’s Health Centers over the course of more than five decades.
In celebration of National Health Center Week, Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems is hosting special events (free of charge) scheduled at each of the four sites between the hours of 3 – 7 p.m. Healthcare related organizations are invited to participate as a vendor and set-up a table display free of charge. In addition to vendor displays, music and entertainment will be provided as well as snacks, door prizes, games, giveaways, and inflatables. The public is invited to attend. The events are scheduled outdoors (rain or shine) as follows:
Monday, August 8 – Tazewell Community Health
Tuesday, August 9 – Twin City Medical Center
Wednesday, August 10 – Meadowview Health Clinic
Thursday, August 11 – Saltville Medical Center
One of the bright spots in America’s healthcare system, health centers started over 50 years ago as a pilot project during President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty. Today, they have compiled a significant record of success that includes:
- Producing $24 billion in annual health system savings
- Reducing unnecessary hospitalizations and unnecessary visits to the emergency room
- Treating patients for a fraction of the average cost of one emergency room visit
- Maintaining patient satisfaction levels of nearly 100 percent
- Generating $26.5 billion in economic activity and over 230,000 jobs
- Reducing infant mortality rates
Health centers not only prevent illness and foster wellness in the most challenging populations, they produce innovative solutions to the most pressing healthcare issues in their communities. They reach beyond the walls of conventional medicine to address the factors that may cause sickness, such as lack of nutrition, mental illness, homelessness and addiction. Because of their long record of success in innovation, managing healthcare costs, and reducing chronic disease, leaders in Congress have declared health centers a model of care that offers a “bipartisan solution to the primary care access problems” facing our nation.
There are NHCW events scheduled across the country, including health fairs, visits by Members of Congress and state officials to local health centers, press conferences, back-to-school drives, community breakfasts, patient appreciation events, free health screenings and dental cleanings, and much more.
To learn more about NHCW and the listing of events, visit: www.healthcenterweek.org. You can also follow the conversation using #NHCW16 or #CHCsInnovate on Twitter.
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