SV Herald – Rotary provides dictionaries, hears about health care

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Published in the Sierra Vista Herald Saturday, October 28, 2017

Submitted by Nathan J. Williams, Rotary reporter to the Herald/Review

SIERRA VISTA – This week, members of the Rotary Club of Sierra Vista received an update on its annual dictionary service project. During the past couple of weeks, members participated in a long-standing club service project and delivered dictionaries to students at Huachuca Mountain Elementary School and General Myer Elementary School. This project always brings smiles and “thank you’s” from the students and provides Rotarians an opportunity to interact with the rising generation.

Rotarians were then privileged to hear from Dr. Jonathan Melk, CEO of Chiricahua Community Health Centers, Inc. (CCHCI). Dr. Melk explained that for many years, CCHCI worked quietly behind the scenes to provide quality care in southern Arizona. It has recently hired Sarah Pacheco to bring CCHCI out of obscurity and into the forefront of people’s minds.

Dr. Melk informed Rotarians that CCHCI is not just another clinic; it’s a federally qualified health center (FQHC). A FQHC is a community-based organization that provides comprehensive primary care and preventive care, including health, oral and mental health/substance abuse services to persons of all ages, regardless of their ability to pay or health insurance status. As of today’s date, there are 1,300 FQHC’s throughout the 50 states serving 27 million people.

FHQC’s must meet four major requirements in order to qualify for and receive federal grants. These requirements are:

No one can be turned away based on ability to pay
Must be located in or service a high needs community
Must provide comprehensive primary care health services
Must have a governing board of directors

CCHCI operates as a non-profit 501(C)(3) to provide health care to all people, regardless of the ability to pay or not. Its mission is to seek out underserved populations to provide routine care.

CCHCI started in Elfrida, Arizona, in 1996, and has since grown from from to 328 employees. CCHCI currently has eight permanent locations (with others in the planning stages) and operates eight mobile clinics. CCHCI is the county’s largest primary care provider, offering medical, dental, pharmacy, behavioral health, enabling services, dietetics, community outreach and enrollment services.

For more information regarding the Rotary Club of Sierra Vista, please contact President Nancy Fusco at www.rotarysv.org.

Submitted by Nathan J. Williams, Rotary reporter to the Herald/Review

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SV Herald – Rotary provides dictionaries, hears about health care

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