The National Association of Community Health Centers recently recognized Scenic Bluffs Community Health Centers for its advocacy efforts.
The first health center in the nation to reach the Silver Level of Achievement for the Advocacy Center of Excellence program, Scenic Bluffs Community Health Centers will be featured on the NACHC website and highlighted in its upcoming blog.
A health center must meet numerous key elements to achieve and this status level. According to a press release prepared by Scenic Bluffs, “This is based on a health center’s level of advocacy success and ongoing commitment to prioritizing advocacy.”
ACE health centers are not only actively engaged and involved with NACHC and federal policy issues, but also with state-level policy issues that directly affect health centers, according to the press release.
The ACE program has three levels of achievement: bronze, silver and gold. Although this achievement level is valid through June 2018, Scenic Bluffs Community Health Centers are striving to reach gold status, according to the press release.
Marina Abt, the advocacy leader at Scenic Bluffs, “ensures the health center is well on its way to reaching gold status,” the press release notes.
Abt, who has a master’s degree in advocacy through NACHC, is involved in state advocacy activities and has established staff and board trainings for Scenic Bluffs. Through Abt’s efforts, 94 percent of Scenic Bluffs staff members are health center advocates. That is the highest percentage of staff participation across health centers in Wisconsin.
In addition, Scenic Bluffs has 100 percent advocacy support from its board of directors and is guided under the leadership of Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association.
There are 18 community health centers in Wisconsin and about 1,300 community health centers nationally.
According to the press release, “Statistics show that community health centers offer high-quality primary care at cost-efficient rates, in addition to bringing jobs, revenue, and wellness programs to the communities they occupy.”
For more information on community health centers and the ACE program, visit http://nachc.org/. The blog on Scenic Bluffs will be posted at http://www.chcs.org/blog/.
More information on Scenic Bluffs Community Health Centers can found on their website at www.scenicbluffs.org.