National Health Center Week (NHCW) begins on August 6 through 12, and Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems (SVCHS) is preparing to celebrate!
National Health Center Week (August 6 – 12) is an annual celebration with the goal of raising awareness about the mission and accomplishments of America’s health centers over the past five decades.
Health centers provide preventive and primary care services to over 30 million people and are the first to respond with wrap around care during disasters and health emergencies. Our model of care is driven by services needed in each unique community. Together, we are the backbone of the nation’s primary care system. Community Health Centers lower health care costs to the tune of $24 billion a year reducing the rate of chronic diseases and stimulating local economies.
At Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems, we provide primary care with integrated behavioral health, dental, pediatric, and optometry services. Community Health Centers are not just healers, we are innovators who look beyond medical charts to address the factors that may cause poor health, such as poverty, homelessness, substance use, mental illness, access to nutritious food, and unemployment. We are a critical piece of health care systems and collaborate with hospitals, local and state governments, social, health and business organizations to improve health outcomes for people who are medically vulnerable.
The mission of Community Health Centers remains crucial today because access to basic care remains a challenge to over 100 million people across the country. Many people live in remote and underserved communities where there is a shortage of providers and, in many cases, the nearest doctor or hospital can be as far as a 50-mile drive in another county.
Each day of NHCW 2023 is dedicated to a particular focus area:
- Sunday, 8/6: Public Health in Housing Day
- Monday, 8/7: Healthcare for the Homeless Day
- Tuesday, 8/8: Agricultural Worker Health Day
- Wednesday, 8/9: Patient Appreciation Day
- Thursday, 8/10: Stakeholder Appreciation Day
- Friday, 8/11: Health Center Staff Appreciation Day
- Saturday, 8/12: Children’s Health Day
This year, Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems, is celebrating the week by hosting several events.
The events that we have planned for each site are as followed:
- Ribbon-Cutting/Open-House at Saltville Community Health Center (308 West Main Street, Saltville, VA 24370) on Tuesday, August 8 from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. with tours of the newly remodeled facility, vendors, and guest speakers beginning at 1:30 p.m.
- Blood Drive at Meadowview Community Health Center (13168 Meadowview Square, Meadowview, VA 24361) on August 10 from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
- -Weblink listed below to register: Meadowview Community Health Center Blood Drive (August 10) (jotform.com)
SVCHS will be posting digital content on their Facebook page and website all week long regarding National Health Center Week. We encourage our patients and community members to like, share, and comment on any content posted.
Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems has locations in Saltville, Meadowview, Tazewell, and Bristol. To schedule an appointment, please contact 276-496-4492.
