Celebrate Federally Qualified Health Centers

This week, Eastern Iowa Health Center (EIHC) is celebrating National Health Center Week 2025 and is emphasizing the lifesaving and life-improving work of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Over the past year, more than 250,000 Iowans received medical, dental, behavioral healtha and pharmacy services through FQHCs, including 17,000+ individuals in Cedar Rapids at EIHC!

Each year, FQHCs make an impact in supporting communities with limited access to care, and significant need persists. EIHC works to meet the important needs of our community and prove that effective health care policy can transcend political divisions — delivering essential care to populations with limited access to health care while reducing systemwide costs.

For decades, FQHCs have seen bipartisan support in Congress. Why? Because the results speak for themselves. FQHCs show that when we focus on solutions that work, we can build programs that truly serve the public good.

FQHCs provide high quality, comprehensive, and integrated preventive and primary care services. EIHC provides care through our providers in family medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN, dental, behavioral health — and our new $1.5 million pharmacy grand opening is this Thursday, August 21.

Together, FQHCs are the backbone of the nation’s primary care system, saving the health care system money by reducing chronic diseases and costly hospital visits. Two years ago, EIHC saw 46,000 provider/patient visit encounters. In 2025, we are on the way to 71,000 encounters — and that’s before we open our new pharmacy, open a new urgent care in our pharmacy in November and will be starting vision exams in January.

How do we do this?

For 60 years, FQHCs have shown dedication to making quality and affordable health care available to everyone in their communities, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. FQHCs have a long history of bipartisan support because when communities are healthier, communities are stronger, and we all benefit.

Rooted in community, the FQHC mission is crucial today because access to care remains a challenge to more than 100 million people across the country. Stop by EIHC at our 1201 Third Avenue SE campus or visit www.EasternIowaHealthCenter.com to see the difference community-based care can make this National Health Center Week — and learn how you can get involved!

Joe Lock is the President and CEO of Eastern Iowa Health Center and can be reached at JLock@EIHC.co.