Federally Qualified Health Center

Federally Qualified Health Center

The City of Evanston is partnering with an established federally qualified health center (FQHC), Erie Family Health Center, as a solution to address the unmet health needs of Evanston residents.

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What is a federally qualified health center?

Created by Congress to meet the health care needs of underserved communities, federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) maintain an open-door policy of providing treatment regardless of an individual’s income or insurance coverage. Community health centers work collaboratively with the communities they serve in order to improve the health status of all residents. Operational costs are covered in part by federal grants, and some centers also receive private foundation support and individual donations.

In order to achieve the “federally qualified” status and therefore to receive federal funding, health centers must:

  • Maintain a Board of Directors where at least 51% of members are active patients of the health center.
  • Serve a geographic area designated as medically underserved or provide care to a medically underserved population.
  • Provide comprehensive primary and preventive care, as well as lab, X-ray, pharmacy, dental and health and nutrition education.
  • Employ physicians who are board certified or eligible for certification.
  • Establish a formal relationship with one or more hospitals, which includes admitting privileges and 24-hour access to services.
  • Submit comprehensive health plans for the geographic area served.

•  FQHCs focus on preventive care such as immunizations and screenings as well as diagnosis and management of chronic illnesses including diabetes, asthma, heart and lung disease, depression and HIV/AIDS.

•  Prompt and appropriate primary care at a medical home decreases the need for costly emergency room visits and avoidable hospital stays. This in turn generates significant savings for the entire health care system.

•  Communities served by FQHCs show decreased rates of infant mortality and low birth weight and greater patient success in understanding and managing risk factors associated with chronic disease.

Why is the new Health Center so important for Evanston?

In 2007 the medical services of the Evanston Health Department with the exception of the pediatric dental clinic closed its doors after over 100 years of operations. Like many communities, our area has experienced a reduction in the availability of primary health care services. The City of Evanston as well as most of the other Health Departments in the area provides no direct primary care services. As a result, many area residents are without access to needed primary health care services which is detrimental to the community as a whole.

In December, 2010, Erie submitted a FQHC New Access Point Application to the Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) for the proposed Erie Evanston Health Center. As you know, there are significant pockets of need in our service area. In Evanston alone over 30,000 residents live at or below 200% of the federal poverty level which is $42,000 for a family of four, and two thirds of these residents have not accessed health services at an FQHC. There are high rates of late entry in to prenatal care for pregnant women, as well as overburdens of chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.

Safety net dental care is severely lacking as well. There is currently no FQHC in Evanston and neighboring Skokie. The target population for the Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) will be low-income residents in the northern Chicago suburbs of Evanston and Skokie, Illinois. The project will reach a total of 5,516 unduplicated patients by the end of Year 2, through a grand total of 27,156 visits in Years 1 and 2. This project originated directly from residents and institutions of the communities of Evanston and Skokie; Erie Family Health Center (Erie) was selected as the service delivery partner of choice for this project. The proposed service area has a total population of 137,587, which is approximately 67% Caucasian, 14% African American, 6% Hispanic, and 13% Asian.

The plan and current status

Erie Family Health Center is a multi-site FQHC proposing a new satellite site to serve the low-income populations of Evanston and Skokie. This proposed satellite site will be integrated into Erie’s existing operations. This project was initiated by a broad range of community partners, including the two local hospitals, city governments, municipal health department, and social service agencies. The community fully supports the establishment of an FQHC in the service area and feels vested in the success of the new site, Erie, and the proposed service delivery model.

In collaboration with the community, Erie will expand its comprehensive service delivery model to Chicago’s northern suburbs, providing primary medical services, oral health services, behavioral health, and enabling services all under one roof. The satellite site will serve as a medical home for the target population, allowing patients to establish an ongoing relationship with their provider of choice, receive a variety of health care services and receive referrals for services not offered on-site.

The proposed service delivery model is responsive to identified health needs in the community, increasing access to high quality health services for the target population and working to reduce the resulting health disparities experienced by the community.

The model includes:

  1. Primary Medical Care
  2. Oral Health Services
  3. Behavioral Health Services
  4. Supportive Services
  5. Enabling Services
  6. Community Education and Outreach

We expect to learn the status of our grant application sometime in August 2011.