The Independence Blue Cross Foundation (Foundation) recognizes National Health Center Week (August 13-19), which celebrates more than 9,000 community health centers serving more than 25 million Americans across all 50 states.
Since 2011, the Foundation has invested more than $15 million through its Blue Safety Net program in over 40 community health centers serving approximately 200,000 individuals annually across southeastern Pennsylvania.
The number of uninsured individuals who rely on health centers for everything from basic preventive care, like immunizations, to comprehensive specialty services like podiatry, varies from county to county. And the centers themselves differ from place to place. However, all share a common mission: to empower their patients to live healthier lives. Each is absolutely vital to its community. Without these centers, many people would go without care at all or rely on emergency rooms, one of the most expensive places to seek treatment.
The Foundation recently released the Blue Safety Net County Snapshot 2015, the first in a series of briefs designed to spark conversation about the network of health centers in the southeastern Pennsylvania region. This data brief details the community impact of Blue Safety Net-supported health centers in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties.
