(Rockville, MD) Officials with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Monday, announced seven health centers in Iowa are part of the top 10 percent of health centers nationwide receiving a Gold Health Center Quality Leader badge for their achievements in improving health outcomes and providing high-quality care for patients in rural and underserved communities. The digital badges, part of the Community Health Quality Recognition (CHQR) badge program, honor the health centers across the country that have attained the best overall clinical quality performance.

The CHQR badge program recognizes outstanding performance in a variety of clinical areas, including behavioral health, maternal health, diabetes health, heart health, cancer screening, and HIV prevention and care, as well as overall quality performance.

The health centers in Iowa that received a Gold Health Center Quality Leader badge today are:

·      Community Health Care, Inc., in Davenport

·      Community Health Centers of Southeastern Iowa, Inc., in West Burlington

·      Crescent Community Health Center, in Dubuque

·      Greater Sioux Community Health Center, in Sioux Center

·      People’s Community Health Clinic, Inc., in Waterloo

·      River Hills Community Health Center, Inc., in Ottumwa

·      Siouxland Community Health Center, in Sioux City

A full list of badges and awardees is available here.

HRSA’s Health Center Program is a cornerstone of our country’s health care system, especially for individuals and families who are uninsured; enrolled in Medicaid; living in rural, remote, or underserved areas; struggling to afford their health insurance co-pays; experiencing homelessness; residing in public housing; or otherwise having difficulty finding a doctor or paying for the cost of care.

Today, approximately 1,400 HRSA-supported health centers operate nearly 15,000 service sites. In 2022, health centers provided care for more than 30 million patients, 90 percent of whom had incomes below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. A 2022 survey of 4,000 health center patients nationwide found 97% would recommend their health center to family and friends.

For information on 2023 CHQR badge recipients by national, state, or individual health center levels, visit: https://data.hrsa.gov/topics/health-centers/chqr

Learn more about the Health Center Program: https://bphc.hrsa.gov/about-health-centers/health-center-program-impact-growth