This week is National Health Center Week, prompting Community HealthCare of the Dakotas, or CHAD, to highlight their role in health care access in North Dakota.
Shelley Ten Napel is CEO of CHAD. She says community health care centers focus on a “whole person” approach to care – from primary care, all the way to behavioral health and dental care. And she says the offer options on a sliding scale to make it accessible to everyone, from rural to urban communities.
"All of our centers offer care on a sliding scale, so no one is turned away based on insurance status or ability to pay. We really aim for health centers to be a place where anyone, no matter where they live, how much they earn, what they're insurance coverage is - can access high quality, compassionate care."
Ten Napel says the health centers hire locally and respond to unique local needs, making them trusted in their communities. They currently serve affordable care about 36,000 North Dakotans at 28 sites across the state.
Congress passed its budget bill this summer, which includes hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid. Ten Naple says the full scope of the impact that may have in North Dakota remains to be seen.
"Certainly, disappointed to see some elements of the expected coverage lost based on the policy changes there; so we know that there will be some impacts in terms of the Medicaid Program in North Dakota. Those are a little bit longer term, and will really be driven by the work requirement aspect. So, we'll be working closely with the state as they begin to develop those rules. I think as that program moves forward, there's a lot of importance in the details in how it gets implemented."
Ten Naple says another large impact may be a reduction of premium tax credits in the health insurance marketplace. She says they will remain at the table when it comes to discussions on getting those who need it access to care.
Locations of Community HealthCare Centers in North Dakota are mapped out on their website, communityhealthcare.net.