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Operating a Health Center

Health centers provide comprehensive services that must address the major health care needs of the target population and ensure the availability of essential primary care and preventive health services—including, as appropriate, oral health, mental health, and substance abuse services. Health centers also include a variety of supportive and enabling services that promote access and quality of care such as translation/interpretation, case management, community outreach, nutrition, and transportation.

Policies

Policies related to the Health Center Program are communicated to grantees through Policy Information Notices (PINs) and Program Assistance Letters (PALs):

• PINs define and clarify policies and procedures that grantees funded under Section 330 must follow.
• PALs summarize and explain items of significance for health centers, including, for example, HRSA program implementation activities, recently enacted laws, final regulations, and/or new HHS initiatives.

Health Center Visit Guide

The Health Center Site Visit Guide is a review instrument used by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to assess an organization’s compliance with key Section 330 Health Center Program requirements as well as a resource to assist grantees in identifying areas for performance or operational improvements. Health centers may also use this Guide as a self assessment resource as it provides a series of prompting questions for both program requirements and performance improvement.

We hope you find the Health Center Site Visit Guide a useful resource tool as we work together to improve the health of the Nation’s underserved communities and vulnerable populations.

• Health Center Site Visit Guide (Word - 1.2 MB) (updated 10/2012)
• Health Center Site Visit Guide (PDF - 627 KB) (updated 10/2012)

Preventive and Primary Health Care Guidelines

• Clinical Information
• Preventive Services
• Clinical Practice
• CDC Catch-up Immunization Scheduler

Other Resources

• Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence
• Bright Futures Practice Guides
• Bright Futures Tool and Resource Kit

Technical Assistance

Partnerships with state, regional and other national organizations has been developed to provide Health Center Program grantees technical assistance across a broad range of topics including need assessment, services, management and finance, governance.  More about technical assistance.