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In the State of New Jersey, the major providers of comprehensive
community-based primary health care are the twelve community health centers and their satellite sites, federally funded/qualified by Sections
330/329 of the United States Public Health Service. Located in Atlantic, Camden, Cumberland, Essex, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex, Passaic,
Salem, and Union 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 of 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 need of their communities.
Approximately 675,000 patient visits are made annually to New
Jersey's FQHCs by almost 200,000 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 includes: |
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- 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 a 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.
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