Indiana Health Centers, Inc.

More than 8.8 million children in the United States receive primary care from a Community Health Center. We are proud to offer pediatric care at all of our IHC locations, including well-child and sick visits and standard vaccinations.

We were honored to host South Bend Mayor James Mueller at IHC Michigan Street today, where we discussed National Health Centers, the importance of community health centers, and IHC's commitment to South Bend. Thank you for your time and support, Mayor Mueller. We appreciate your visit!

Stakeholder Appreciation Day Thanks to a continuous emphasis on delivering patient-centered care that results in positive outcomes, Community Health Centers have received bipartisan political support for more than 50 years. Although the Health Center Program originated at the federal level, widespread legislative support for Community Health Centers exists across state and local governments as well. Building a stronger, more sustainable Community Health Center movement is dependent upon continuous engagement with stakeholders at all levels of policy. We would like to take a moment to thank Michael Myers from Congressman Larry Buschon's office and Congresswoman Erin Houchin for spending time with us this week and discussing the importance of community health centers, 340b, and rural healthcare. We'd also like to thank all of the other representatives who support CHCs nationwide, especially here in Indiana. We couldn't serve without your support - thank you! #NHCW24 #ValueCHCs #FQHC

For the first time in history, Community Health Centers served more than 31.5 million patients in 2023. A legacy more than 60 years in the making, the Community Health Center movement began as a journey of building power among people within their unique communities. Today, Community Health Centers represent the largest network of primary care providers in America. Community Health Centers serve 1 in 11 people in the U.S. including: 1 in 9 children and adolescents 1 in 4 racial and ethnic minorities 1 in 6 Medicaid beneficiaries 1 in 5 uninsured persons 1 in 3 people in poverty Additionally, federal legislation requires that at least 51% of Community Health Center board members be patients at the health centers they represent. Board members volunteer their time and expertise to be a voice for those served by the health center. IHC has an incredible Board of Directors and eight Community Involvement Committees (CICs) that we rely heavily upon for governance, planning, and support. Today and every day we celebrate and appreciate those patients and community members who believe in our mission and support our work.

Agricultural Worker Health Center Day In 1962, the Migrant Health Act was signed by President John F. Kennedy authorizing the delivery of primary and supplemental health care services to migrant and seasonal farmworkers, resulting in the Migrant Health Center program. This landmark agreement sowed the seeds for what would later become the Community Health Center Program. Today, Community Health Centers serve more than 1 million migrant and seasonal agricultural workers, approximately 20% of the total estimated agricultural worker population in the United States and territories. Roughly 175 Migrant Health Centers receive supplemental funding to serve this special population, including our own IHC at Marion! They have a strong record of implementing innovative care models, such as utilizing community health workers to connect patients to prescription food programs, housing support, legal services, and more. The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) has teamed up with the National Center for Farmworker Health (NCFH) to launch the Ag Worker Access Campaign. The campaign’s goal is to develop more effective strategies to increase access to care for migrant and seasonal agricultural workers and their families. Migrant Health Program grantees are critical to ensuring access to quality primary and preventive care for patients who might otherwise go without.

Health Care for the Homeless Day While all Community Health Centers provide care to vulnerable people in their communities, more than 200 organizations receive targeted funding from the Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) program to meet the needs of those living without stable housing. Community Health Centers serve more than 1.3 million patients experiencing homelessness each year, a vast majority of whom seek care from HCH grantee organizations. IHC Michigan Street in South Bend is one of those community health centers (pictured below). People who experience homelessness endure higher rates of chronic and acute disease, behavioral health conditions, and other disparities that make them vulnerable to poor health, disability, and early death. HCH programs provide high-quality, comprehensive primary and behavioral health care, case management, and other supportive services to meet the needs of people who lack stable housing. Services focus on trauma-informed care practices that provide healing, choice, safety, and trust while empowering individuals as advocates in their own care. The National Health Care for the Homeless Council works to improve the delivery of health care services to people experiencing homelessness by providing comprehensive technical assistance and advocacy support to HCH grantees. National Health Center Week is a time to honor and celebrate the work being done at HCH organizations and to support policies that end homelessness by advocating for comprehensive housing as a basic human right.

IHC wishes to thank Congresswoman Erin Houchin for visiting our IHC Bedford location this morning! We were able to discuss the role that community health centers play in healthcare and we appreciate her continuous support of the CHC movement. Thank you, Congresswoman Houchin! #NHCW24 #ValueCHCs #FQHC

We are so thankful that IHC's Chief Compliance Officer, Nicole Meyer, was able to join the march in Washington, DC last week to #defend340B! 340B is such an important program for Community Health Centers and our patients. What is 340B? First established in 1992 through bipartisan legislation, the federal 340B drug discount program offers a lifeline to the neediest and most underserved patients in this nation. The program operates on the simple principle of requiring pharmaceutical companies to provide drugs at a discounted price to certain types of safety net hospitals and clinics that, in turn, use their 340B savings to underwrite the cost of serving patients in their communities. In fact, that reinvestment in patients and communities is what has made the 340B program so successful. 340B providers can do more with their limited dollars to benefit the communities that they serve. Over the past 25 years, the 340B program has consistently helped safety net providers meet the unique public health needs of their communities, and Congress has acted several times to extend program eligibility to additional categories hospitals. However, despite affecting just two percent of all drug sales in the United States, the program remains deeply unpopular within sectors of the pharmaceutical industry. For more information, please visit cv340b.org.

IHC at Kokomo would like to thank all of our community members, vendors, and staff who helped make our first Summer Bash & Resource Fair a success! We appreciate everyone who braved the storm to spend time with us yesterday! Special thanks to Howard County Health Department, Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo Region, YMCA of Kokomo, Project Access, Howard County Medical Society, Indiana Health Centers WIC Program, Area Five Agency On Aging, UNITED WAY OF HOWARD CNTY, Minority Health Alliance Howard County, HomeTeam Ice Cream, and Good Dudes BBQ Catering LLC for engaging with our Kokomo community. We hope to see you all again next year!

Today we had the honor of co-presenting at the IRHA Indiana Rural Health Association conference with Indiana University Health and Southern Indiana Community Health Care Inc. and highlight the collaboration of community responses when a rural hospital closes. We are all so honored to provide primary healthcare in the Bedford and Lawrence County communities together.