Who We Are
Our Mission
To strengthen the health and well-being of the communities we serve.
Our Vision
Striving to achieve health equity for all by:
- Being the health care home of choice.
- Being a teaching center of excellence.
- Providing the right care, at the right time, at the right place.
What We Do
History
In 1970, the Austin City Council partnered with the Travis County Commissioners Court to develop a system of primary care, dental care, and family planning clinics. The goal of this effort was to serve residents of Travis County whose incomes and lack of private health insurance kept them from being able to access health care services in the community. In 1992, the clinic system earned “Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike” status through the federal government. A 15-member Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) board of directors was appointed. The board’s job is to govern the Community Health Center system, and a majority of the board’s members are required to be active patients in the system. These board members represent the populations served by the centers in terms of ethnicity, race, sex, age and economic status.
Federally Qualified Health Care
CommUnityCare is a Federally Qualified Health Center, or FQHC. This means our practice has met strict guidelines established by the Federal Bureau of Primary Health Care. These guidelines require that we offer a specific scope of services including care for those without health insurance. The board oversees the governance of our health center operations. We are proud to have earned this designation. We are part of a vital safety net in the nation’s health care delivery system. *As a Health Center Program grantee under 42 U.S.C.254b, CommUnityCare receives HHS funding and has federal public health services (PHS) deemed status with respect to certain health or health-related claims, including medical malpractice claims for itself and its covered individuals.
Federally Qualified Health Centers are eligible to:
- Receive enhanced reimbursement (payment) from Medicare and Medicaid.
- Participate in the 340B Program that allows us to purchase prescription drugs at reduced prices.
- Have access to medical malpractice insurance through the Federal Tort Claims Act. This lowers our cost of operation.
Today, the network of FQHCs nationwide is growing. More than 1,000 health centers across the country serve over 13 million people.