What is a Community Health Center?

Community Health Centers (CHCs) are non-profit community-driven primary care clinics. Each clinic provides high quality primary and preventive care to all individuals, with or without insurance and regardless of their ability to pay. CHCs provide integrated and comprehensive services including medical, behavioral, dental and vision care.

Community Health Centers (CHCs) are located in both rural and urban settings throughout North and South Dakota. In rural communities, the CHC program supports a community’s ability to retain local health care options, supporting access to health care where rural Dakotans live and work. Across rural and urban sites, health centers are the essential medical home where patients find services that promote health, diagnose and treat disease, manage chronic conditions and disability and help them cope with other life challenges that prevent them from getting healthy and staying healthy.

South Dakota has five community health centers located in 34 communities with a total of 43 delivery sites, including primary care, dental and school based clinics. In 2015, allPoints Health Services, Community Health Center of the Black Hills, Falls Community Health, Horizon Health Care Inc. and Rural Health Care Inc. treated over 60,000 patients across South Dakota.

North Dakota has five community health centers located in 17 communities with a total of 19 delivery sites, including primary care, dental and school based clinics. In 2015, Coal Country Community Health Center, Community Health Service, Inc., Family HealthCare Center, Northland Health Centers and Valley Community Health Centers treated nearly 40,000 patients across North Dakota.

In the Dakotas, community health centers serve nearly 100,000 patients at 52 delivery sites.

CHAD is the professional organization for community health centers in North and South Dakota. Our mission is to enhance access to quality primary care through service to our members. CHAD serves as an advocate to promote the development and delivery of accessible, high quality, culturally effective primary care for everyone in the Dakotas.