Becoming a Health Center

Why should my community or organization seek health center funding?

• Malpractice coverage for health care providers in a health center is covered under the  Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA)
• Health centers are eligible for the 340B program which provides prescription drugs at a reduced cost
• The National Health Service Corps program allows providers to access loan repayment program opportunities
• Health Center grantees are awarded up to $650,000 per year
• Clinics utilization is reviewed periodically, and adjustments can be made to the base grant as the center grows
• Health centers receive support and training from their federal, regional, and state partners

You like the idea of having a health center in your community… what’s next?

Contact the Wyoming Primary Care Association to set up a meeting in your community with Patrick Monahan to learn more about Health Centers and the process of becoming a Health Center.

Support is Key – This is a Community Project!

• Community meetings with community leaders, other health care organizations, and any other organizations and individuals to educate the community about Health Centers is essential to gain support for the project.
• Public meetings that allow the individuals in the community to tell their story and ask their questions to find out how a health center will benefit the individuals, families, and employers in a community is also very important.
• Illustrate the health care needs and concerns of your community and show how a health center can and will help address the issues.

Then what?

Form a committee of interested stakeholders – this could become the future health center board.   A health center board must include the following:

• Between 9 and 25 members
• 51% of the members must be patients of the health center
• Representation of the patient population being served in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, etc.
• No more than half of the board members who are not patients of the health center can earn more than 10 percent of their income from the health care industry
• Members who are not health center patients must represent the community being served and be selected for expertise in areas such as finance and banking, legal, community affairs, etc.

When does funding become available?

Funding is available based on Congress and their support of the Health Center program.  Historically, grants for new Health Centers are made available every two years though this is not always the case. We always recommend that persons interested in funding of this type register at www.grants.gov.  They will email you every time new funding becomes available through the Federal government.