In December of 2006, the Combined Health District of Montgomery County (since renamed Public Health—Dayton & Montgomery County) began collaborative efforts with Kettering Health Network and Premier Health Partners to establish a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Dayton, Ohio. At that time, Dayton was Ohio’s only metropolitan area whose general population lacked such a facility.
The group pooled their resources and reviewed the services offered by Public Health, Kettering, and Premier Health Partners for serving the health needs of low income populations. Fourteen current health centers were analyzed, and three—Charles Drew, Corwin Nixon, and East Dayton—were selected to be transferred into a new non-profit corporation called Community Health Centers of Greater Dayton (CHCGD). The new corporation submitted an application for FQHC status in December 2007; on July 7, 2008, CHCGD took over operation of the three sites.
Community Health Centers of Greater Dayton (CHCGD) was awarded Federally Qualified Health Center status in March, 2009. This FQHC recognition stems, in part, from President Obama’s stimulus package which provided funding for 126 health center New Access Points (NAPs). Moreover, the additional Federal funding, plus the ongoing financial support from community partners, allows CHCGD to better fulfill its mission…improving the health of underserved communities in Dayton and the surrounding area by providing preventive and primary health care services to patients, regardless of ability to pay.
