As National Health Center Week (August 3-9) is celebrated around the country, Community Health Centers (CHCs) are serving more patients than ever before — nearly 34 million people nationwide, a surge of more than 1 million patients.

This milestone underscores the growing demand for the high-quality, comprehensive, and affordable primary care that CHCs deliver both within and beyond the exam room in 17,000 locations in rural, frontier, mountain, urban, suburban, tribal, and island communities nationwide.

At Community Health Centers, those patients aren’t just receiving care, they’re helping lead it.

Every Community Health Center board is made up of at least 51% patients, meaning major decisions about services, priorities, and programs are made by the people who rely on them most.

This unique model keeps health centers grounded in the real needs of their communities — and it works.

Here in the Dan River Region, PATHS and Compassion Health Care are valuable partners in the work of The Health Collaborative. Both organizations actively partner with community-based organizations and others to create capacity for programming.

During this annual NHCW 2025, The Health Collaborative joins the National Association of Community Health Centers celebrates CHCs and their more than 326,000 staff as not only the largest primary care network across our country, but also the best, most innovative, and most resilient part of our health system.

View NACHC’s press release on National Health Center week HERE.

Learn more about our local Community Health Centers by visiting the links below:

PATHS

Compassion Health Care

Piedmont Health Services