Staff gather to celebrate the opening of a new locations for Community Health Alliance, the largest provider of medical and dental services to low-income families in northern Nevada.
Community Health Alliance is a nonprofit health center that provides much needed medical, dental and integrated behavioral health care services in six locations. As the largest provider of medical and dental services to low-income individuals and families in northern Nevada, Community Health Alliance plays a vital role in connecting medically under served populations to appropriate healthcare services. Last year, Community Health Alliance served more than 30,000 individuals and provided more than 100,000 health-related visits.
In addition to operating six health centers, Community Health Alliance operates three mobile units, the largest low-income dental program in northern Nevada and two low-cost pharmacies for patients. At each health center, Community Health Alliance has Enrollment Facilitators who provide one-to-one help with insurance enrollment at no cost. Community Health Alliance’s Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program also provides supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition counseling for low-income pregnant, and postpartum women, and to infants and children who are found to be at nutritional risk. Community Health Alliance’s WIC Program operates in 10 locations throughout Reno, Sparks and the North Valleys.
The mission of Community Health Alliance is to provide quality, affordable, comprehensive health services to all. In keeping with its mission, Community Health Alliance serves any and all people who want convenient and affordable healthcare regardless of economic, cultural or language barriers.
“At Community Health Alliance our number one goal is to help our patients reach their health care goals and live a better healthier life,” said Chuck Duarte, chief executive officer, Community Health Alliance. Helping our patients overcome barriers and connecting them to other community resources is a large part of what we do.”
Community Health Alliance is an organization that builds upon the legacy of two known northern Nevada healthcare providers, Health Access Washoe County (HAWC) and Saint Mary’s Mission Outreach. On July 1, 2012, Saint Mary’s Mission Outreach and HAWC were combined through a merger and Community Health Alliance was formed. Since the merger, all Community Health Alliance programs have expanded to better serve the evolving community.
In 2014, Nevada faced a major transition with the Medicaid Expansion. Medicaid enrollment in Reno nearly doubled that year and many people turned to Community Health Alliance for care. To accommodate the needs of patients and provide quality care in a timely manner, Community Health Alliance shifted as an organization. Community Health Alliance expanded clinical and support staff in great ways, as they recruited passionate personnel dedicated to the CHA mission. Community Health Alliance also developed a strategic plan that focused on quality improvement and implementing innovative programs.
In January 2015, in partnership with the Washoe County School District, CHA opened the first School-Based Health Center in Washoe County to serve students and their families from Wooster High School, Vaughn Middle School, and Booth, Corbett, Loder and Veterans Elementary Schools. Through the School-Based Health Center, CHA provides convenient access to primary and preventive care for students who might otherwise have limited or no access to healthcare.
Later that year, Community Health Alliance reached another milestone when the National Committee on Quality Assurance (NCQA) designated three CHA health centers as Patient-Centered Medical Homes, a distinction which emphasizes CHA’s focus on improving the health of the community, reducing the overall cost of health care and improving patient care experience.
In September 2015, Community Health Alliance celebrated the opening of its sixth community health center, the Center for Complex Care. The Center for Complex Care is a health center dedicated to serving adults in the community with one or more chronic conditions. The Center for Complex Care provides integrated health care, emphasizing the collaboration between multiple health care providers including primary and behavioral health care. Since the September opening, the Center for Complex Care has served 500 patients with nearly 1,500 visits.
Community Health Alliance is happy to announce they will open their seventh community health center in Sparks, located between El Rancho Dr. and Sullivan Ln. This is made possible due to Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) naming Community Health Alliance as the recipient of many High Quality Improvement Awards totaling $80,804 in funding. The awards recognize CHA as a “Health Center Quality Leader” that achieved the best overall clinical outcomes among health centers and showed significant improvement to patients’ health.
Along with these great advancements, Community Health Alliance has included a new call center to reduce wait times for patients making appointments. Patients can now be seen within the first two days of calling to make their appointment. Community Health Alliance also has extended morning and evening hours to offer flexible appointments for working patients.
This coming year, Community Health Alliance aims to implement innovative programs, identify community partners to help further their mission and connect patients to more resources as well as increase involvement at outreach and community events.
Donors, granters, partners and supporters have championed the growth and made the success of Community Health Alliance possible. As the need for affordable, quality, comprehensive health services will continue to increase, collaboration will be an essential part of keeping the community healthy.
“Please join us as we continue to make a significant impact in our patients’ lives, open doors to health care and enable patients to live happy, healthy lives—ultimately improving the quality of life in northern Nevada,” said Chuck Duarte.
To learn more information or to become a patient at Community Health Alliance, please visit chanevada.org.
