Federally Funded/Qualified Health and Migrant Centers

DESCRIPTION OF FEDERALLY FUNDED/QUALIFIED HEALTH AND MIGRANT CENTERS (FQHCs)

In the State of New Jersey, the major providers of comprehensive community-based primary health care are the 19 community health centers and their satellite sites, federally funded/qualified by Sections 330/329 of the United States Public Health Service. Located in Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Salem, Sussex, Union, and Warren counties, the FQHCs provide much needed care to the most impoverished citizens in the state. Although somewhat different in composition and in the nature of services offered, the FQHCs all target the health care needs of the medically underserved within their respective service areas.

All FQHCs are staffed with well-qualified Board-certified or Board-eligible physicians representing a broad array of medical specialties and are subject to stringent Federal regulations in all operational areas. Most FQHCs are located in high-density, urban areas and in rural areas with a large, diverse base of ethnic and minority residents. The comprehensive services of each center are tailored to the physical, psychosocial, nutritional, and health educational needs of their communities.

Approximately 1,000,000 patient visits are made annually to New Jersey's FQHCs by almost 350,000 users. Typical services include internal medicine, obstetrics, gynecology, pediatrics, geriatrics, medical and surgical sub-specialties, laboratory, podiatry, pharmacy, x-ray, dental, and mental health services.

Characteristics which distinguish FQHCs from most other health care providers include:

Governance by users of FQHCs and by local professionals.
Locations in underserved neighborhoods with clinic hours that include nights and weekends.
Utilization of National Health Service Corps physicians who are devoted on a full-time basis to the Center.
Multilingual staff.
Ability to provide multiple sites and even mobile clinics and services for rural populations.
Commitment to offering a wide array of medical and supportive services.
Provision of care at costs which are substantially lower than at other settings; sliding fee scales.
Reduction of overall health care costs as an effective alternative to emergency room utilization.
Physician admitting privileges in local hospitals to provide 24-hour care to patients.
Networking with community-based human service organizations to provide a continuum of care.
Programs are based on the life-cycle concept, which gives particular emphasis to maternal and child health and seeks to provide quality care for people from prenatal care to old age.