08/07/2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Amy Simmons Farber, 202-309-0338
BETHESDA, MD—Community Health Centers (CHCs) serve nearly 34 million people nationwide– a surge of more than 1 million patients, according to new analysis of federal data by the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC). The data underscores the growing demand for affordable, comprehensive primary care services, while CHCs face unprecedented financial and workforce challenges and federal funding is set to expire at the end of September.
The record-breaking number of CHC patients, the most ever served in the program’s 60-year history, comes as the nation launches National Health Center Week (NHCW), an annual celebration of CHCs as the country’s largest primary care network. NHCW runs August 3-9, with more than 1,000 events planned from coast to coast.
This year, CHCs celebrate a historic milestone of 60 years since the program began with the first health centers established in rural Mound Bayou, MS, and Columbia Point, MA. The NHCW theme, “America’s Health Centers: Celebrating 60 Years of Improving the Nation’s Health,” highlights CHCs’ decades-long record of saving both lives and taxpayer dollars.
“We are excited to celebrate 60 years of Community Health Centers delivering affordable, effective, comprehensive primary care services to an unprecedented almost 34 million patients, or one in 10 Americans, including at least one in five rural Americans,” says NACHC President and CEO, Kyu Rhee, MD, MPP. “With a workforce of 326,000 operating in over 17,000 delivery sites, CHCs prevent and treat chronic diseases, reduce overall health care costs, and generate jobs in their communities.”
CHCs deliver primary care to more than 10% of the U.S. population for only 1% of the healthcare spend. In addition to thin operating margins, CHCs are also bracing for the impact of the budget reconciliation bill that makes sweeping changes to Medicaid. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) is projected to cost CHCs nearly $7 billion annually in increased uncompensated care costs, resulting in an estimated $13 billion loss in total economic impact. NACHC’s estimates reveal OBBBA could lead to at least 34,000 CHC job losses and at least 1,800 CHC site closures. Using analysis based on a recent study, this level of disruption could lead to 5,000-6,000 preventable CHC patient deaths per year.
For decades, bipartisan members of Congress have recognized CHCs for their unique value as providers of high quality, team-based, comprehensive primary care services that integrate medical, mental, oral, pharmacy, social, and specialty care within and beyond the exam room in rural, frontier, mountain, urban, suburban, tribal, and island communities nationwide.
During this annual NHCW 2025, we celebrate CHCs as not only the largest primary care network across our country, but also the best, most innovative, and most resilient part of our health system.
NACHC analysis is based on numbers from the 2024 Uniform Data System of HRSA-funded and look-alike health centers, estimates for annual patient growth, and national data sources.
To learn more about the mission and accomplishments of CHCs, visit www.nachc.org. You can learn more about NHCW and view a listing of events at www.healthcenterweek.org and follow the campaign hashtag for social media updates.
About NACHC
NACHC’s mission is to champion Community Health Centers delivering affordable, effective, comprehensive primary care that is community-driven and improves health for all.
