One of the founders of the health center movement, H. Jack Geiger, believed that doctors had a responsibility to address not only the medical conditions that adversely affected patients’ health, but also the social ones.
An American physician and activist he served patients’ medical needs and fought tenaciously for health equity and human rights for his entire career, inspiring generations of clinicians and other leaders who believed, like him, that medicine can be a powerful instrument of social change.
August 4-10, the National Association of Community Health Centers sponsors National Health Center Week to celebrate and increase awareness of America’s 1,400 Community Health Centers, their staff, board members, supporters, and the work they do to improve people’s lives.
Residents in the Pikes Peak Region look to Peak Vista Community Health Centers’ 24 locations for medical, behavioral and dental care, an integrated model that treats the whole-person because we understand all elements of health are inter-connected. We make primary health care available to everyone, from those with insurance to the under/uninsured.
In 1971, Peak Vista began as a volunteer-run clinic, open just a few nights a week in the heart of downtown Colorado Springs. With a service area that runs from the front range to the Kansas border, we now cover 14 counties, over 12,000 square miles, and 74,000 patients.
As the only Federally Qualified Health Center in the region, Peak Vista provides comprehensive care to people of all ages, regardless of health insurance status or ability to pay.
Health centers are the backbone of the nation’s primary care system, saving the U.S. health care system money by reducing the rate of chronic diseases and costly hospital visits.
The Congressional Budget Office in Washington, D.C. has noted that community health centers are 24 to 30% more cost-efficient than other providers in caring for Medicaid and Medicare patients.
Right now, Peak Vista and health centers across the country are facing significant challenges.
At the end of the public health emergency last year, states re-evaluated Medicaid recipients for eligibility after having kept everyone on Medicaid for the entire timeframe. During that process, 40,000 people in our service area lost their Medicaid coverage. This impacted 14,800 Peak Vista patients, many of whom are truly eligible and lost coverage due to administrative reasons.
Because we never discharge patients based on insurance status, we are seeing an increasing number of patients with no insurance.
We will care for at least 12,700 uninsured patients this year, with no reimbursement for costs. We will spend $14.8 million in 2024 alone on uncompensated care.
Then there’s the stalemate in Washington. After a six-month delay in health center appropriations, Congress finally approved what is effectively flat funding. We would not have that if not for the dedicated work of Senators John Hickenlooper, Senator Michael Bennet and Congressman Doug Lamborn.
Despite these threats, we persevere.
In September, we will initiate the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Fellowship program, one of only four in the state and fourteen in the country.
The Fellowship will increase the number of qualified psychiatric providers at Peak Vista, answering the call for expanded mental health services in our community.
Last year, we launched our Community Health Worker program, taking the Peak Vista mission beyond the walls of our health centers, meeting people where they are to provide care, connection to services and the potential for a healthier life.
Peak Vista offers the pharmaceutical discount program 340B. This program allows our patients to access life-saving medications for pennies on the dollar and allows us to design chronic disease management programs led by our pharmacists for diabetes and cardiovascular disease, which is prevalent among the population we serve.
Health centers are not just healers; we are innovators who look beyond medical charts to not only prevent illness but also address the factors that may cause poor health, such as poverty, homelessness, substance use, mental illness, access to nutritious food, and unemployment.
The health center mission is crucial today because access to basic care remains a challenge to over 100 million people across the country. Show your commitment during National Health Center Week by supporting a health center in your community with your time, expertise or resources.
Dr. Emily Ptaszek is the President and CEO of Peak Vista Community Health Centers, offering primary medical, integrated behavioral health and dental care services to more than 74,000 patients annually through 24 outpatient centers in Colorado’s Pikes Peak and East Central regions.
Dr. Emily Ptaszek is the President and CEO of Peak Vista Community Health Centers, offering primary medical, integrated behavioral health and dental care services to more than 74,000 patients annually through 24 outpatient centers in Colorado’s Pikes Peak and East Central regions.
