HHS, HRSA and CMS Administrators will visit The Family Health Centers of Georgia on August 12 in celebration of National Health Center Week

Atlanta, Georgia, Aug. 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Family Health Centers of Georgia, Inc., www.fhcga.org, has confirmed that HHS Region 4 Director Antrell Tyson, Region 4 HRSA Administrator Natalie Brevard Perry, and CMS Regional Administrator Sherard Kendal McKie  will attend its Health Center Staff Appreciation Day event on Friday, August 12, 2022 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.(EST) as part of National Health Center Week.  The event will take place at The Family Health Centers of Georgia’s Main Center | Corporate Office, 868 York Avenue, SW, Atlanta, Georgia. 

Organized by the National Association for Community Health Centers, www.nachc.org, National Health Center Week, https://healthcenterweek.org/about-nhcw/, is an annual celebration with the goal of raising awareness about the mission and accomplishments of America’s health centers over the past five decades. Health centers provide healthcare to 30 million patients across the US and save the healthcare system $24 billion annually by reducing emergency room, hospital and specialty care costs.

For 47 years, The Family Health Centers of Georgia has worked to provide quality healthcare services regardless of patient’s inability to pay or health insurance status.  It takes a team of dedicated health professionals to provide patient care to more than 17,000 patients annually, generating more than 52,000 patient visits. In 2021, The Family Health Centers of Georgia provided 23,384 free COVID-19 vaccinations and tests.

 “To have the top administrators from HHS, HRSA, and CMS participate in celebrating our staff is phenomenal, stated Dr. Michael W. Brooks, President & CEO of The Family Health Centers of Georgia.”  Brooks continued, “Each of them are a critical part of our funding stream that allows us to provide comprehensive primary healthcare to underserved populations.”

“The Family Health Centers of Georgia has stood as a critical member of the community for 47 years and is staffed by a highly competent and creative staff that provides quality primary care services, vaccinations and more for thousands of people each year throughout metro Atlanta and the state,” said Region 4 Director Antrell Tyson, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra’s representative for the eight southeastern states.  “FHCGA has also been there for my HHS office many times over the years when we have needed a partner to host our secretary or other high-level officials.  We celebrate and honor the sacrifices, commitment and expertise of the staff of FHCGA and the other federally qualified health centers in Georgia and throughout the southeast during National Health Center Week.”

Over the last 57 years, health centers have grown to become the cornerstone of community-based primary healthcare in the country.  Our data show that for the first time in the Health Center Program’s history, health centers are serving more than 30 million patients nationwide – a 43% increase in the past 10 years, and further evidence of the crucial role health centers play in people’s lives”, said the Region 4 HRSA Administrator Natalie Brevard Perry.

About The Family Health Centers of Georgia, Inc. (FHCGA)

The Family Health Centers of Georgia, Inc. is a 501c (3), not-for-profit, federally qualified health center.  FHCGA’s mission is to provide comprehensive, high quality, patient centered healthcare to the communities we serve.  FHCGA currently operates nine service sites, including two mobile medical and dental units, in Georgia’s Cobb, Clayton, Douglas, and Fulton Counties.  The Family Health Centers of Georgia serves as the administrator of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Population Affairs Title X program for the state of Georgia.

 About HHS, HRSA and CMS

The mission of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans, by providing for effective health and human services and by fostering sound, sustained advances in the sciences underlying medicine, public health, and social services.  The Office of the Secretary, Operating Divisions, and Regional Offices administer HHS programs.  Many HHS-funded services are provided at the local level by state or county agencies, or through private sector grantees.  The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is a HHS operating division that is the principal federal agency with programs that provide equitable healthcare to people who are geographically isolated and economically or medically vulnerable. The HRSA Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs promotes public health and health equity by expanding knowledge about HRSA’s programs, resources, priorities, and related best practices.  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is part of HHS and administers the Medicare program and works in partnership with state governments to administer Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and health insurance portability standards.