History
In 1982, a group of 20 people representing social service organizations gathered together to form the Low Income Healthcare Committee. From the discussions of this group, the Community Health Referral Center (CHRC) was founded in 1983. The Board and staff of CHRC and the medical community saw that a referral center was not adequate to meet the needs of the underserved. Starting with one Nurse Practitioner, in addition to the office staff, the focus was changed from a referral center to a medical clinic in 1985. On February 24, 1987, our name was changed to Community Health Center of Snohomish County.
Service Delivery
CHC operates four medical clinics, three dental clinics and three pharmacies located in Everett, Lynnwood and Edmonds. In FY2011, CHC provided 118,036 patient visits to 35,312 individuals.
Patient Profile
CHC's target population is persons whose household income is at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. 87% of our current patients are in this income category. Approximately 98% of our patients are uninsured or participate in Medicaid, Medicare or Basic Health Plan. Nearly one-third of our patients state a language other than English as their primary language.
Network Affiliation
CHC is a member of the Community Health Plan, a non-profit, state licensed health insurance company established in 1992. CHP provides coverage for people in 33 counties.
Funding
CHC's annual budget is approximately $20 million. Sources are:
- Managed Care 23%
- Fee for Service 58%
- Grants 14%
- Donation and In-kind Contribution 4%
- Other 1%