Courtesy photo.
CENTRAL COAST — In an effort to raise awareness about the numerous services available to people in need through health centers, CenCal Health joined organizations across the nation in recognizing the many services America’s health centers have provided over the last 50 years during National Health Center Week August 13th through the 19th.
“Our local community health centers are part of a network that provides care to many of our members living in our service area that depends on them for health services,” said Bob Freeman, CEO of CenCal Health. “Health centers reduce and prevent chronic disease, provide a medical home for underserved patients, and provide patients with affordable options for care other than the costly emergency room, among many other benefits to people in our community.”
Our local health centers in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties serve thousands of patients each year, a number that continues to grow annually because of their commitment to serve everyone regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. The health centers serve as a comprehensive and cost-effective health care option for underserved communities throughout Central Coast. Some of their successes include:
- Producing significant savings every year
- Reducing unnecessary hospitalizations and unnecessary visits to the emergency room
- Treating patients for a fraction of the average cost of one emergency room visit
- Maintaining patient satisfaction levels
CenCal Health staff were part of the Aug. 11 grand opening of a new health center in Oceano, the 30th location of the Community Health Centers of the Central Coast (CHCCC), and are proud to be partners with CHCCC and all of our partners in the community.
CenCal Health’s Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) partners also include:
American Indian Health & Services
Santa Barbara County Health Clinics Care Centers
Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics
Santa Ynez Tribal Health Clinic
All for Health; Health for All
CenCal Health creates access to high quality health care for its members by contracting with local doctors, specialists, and hospitals in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. CenCal Health contracts with 94 percent of the providers in Santa Barbara County and more than 75 percent of the providers in San Luis Obispo County, representing nearly 2000 physicians.
About CenCal Health: CenCal Health provides health insurance for approximately 20 percent of residents in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. CenCal Health coverage is accepted by the vast majority of local health care providers. CenCal Health also provides education and assistance to its members in order to reduce potential health problems from chronic illness such as diabetes and asthma. For more information, visit www.cencalhealth.org or find CenCal Health on Facebook.