Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) were created in 1965 to provide comprehensive primary, behavioral health, and dental care as well as enabling services that include transportation, translation, and case management services to all Americans regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay. As of 2021, more than 1,400 health centers with over 12,000 care sites provided health services to nearly 30 million individuals (8 of the United States population). Federally qualified health centers must either be in medically underserved areas (MUA) or serve medically underserved populations (MUPs), as a result, FQHCs are a critical source of care for the most vulnerable Americans. For example, approximately half of all FQHC patients are insured through Medicaid, one third of whom live in poverty, 1.4 million are homeless, and 885,000 are children served at school-based clinics.
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