What we do
WPHCA provides training and technical assistance to Community Health Centers in the areas of quality improvement, workforce development, and policy solutions to increase Community Health Centers’ ability to provide high-quality primary health care, including dental and behavioral health services, across the state. To accomplish shared goals, WPHCA facilitates Peer Learning Networks, serves as a liaison with state agency staff, and identifies subject matter experts to help Community Health Centers advance key initiatives.
Quality
WPHCA assists Community Health Centers to improve the quality of care and services provided to patients with the goal of improving health outcomes and reducing health disparities. Community Health Centers support each other with the goal of providing high-quality care and exceeding the high standards and expectations of their patients, communities, and partners. For example, WPHCA manages the Culture of Excellence program, a clinical quality improvement strategy that identifies core measures for peer-to-peer benchmarking and identification of best practices and tools that others can implement.
Policy
WPHCA collaborates with state and federal lawmakers, policymakers, and partners to advance legislation, regulations, and initiatives that improve the health of communities. Through this bipartisan work, WPHCA advances policies that improve access to care, expand high-quality, affordable health care coverage, address health care workforce challenges, and identify and respond to social determinants of health such as food and housing insecurity.
Workforce
WPHCA works jointly with Community Health Centers to advance the shared vision of hiring and retaining a workforce that is representative of the communities clinics serve, including staff that are committed to patient-centered care and rooted in health equity. WPHCA develops relationships with local and statewide partners to expand the health care workforce pipeline, such as partnering with Area Health Education Centers and expanding access to Medical Assistant training programs.
Quality
WPHCA assists Community Health Centers to improve the quality of care and services provided to patients with the goal of improving health outcomes and reducing health disparities. Community Health Centers support each other with the goal of providing high-quality care and exceeding the high standards and expectations of their patients, communities, and partners. For example, WPHCA manages the Culture of Excellence program, a clinical quality improvement strategy that identifies core measures for peer-to-peer benchmarking and identification of best practices and tools that others can implement.
Policy
WPHCA collaborates with state and federal lawmakers, policymakers, and partners to advance legislation, regulations, and initiatives that improve the health of communities. Through this bipartisan work, WPHCA advances policies that improve access to care, expand high-quality, affordable health care coverage, address health care workforce challenges, and identify and respond to social determinants of health such as food and housing insecurity.
Workforce
WPHCA works jointly with Community Health Centers to advance the shared vision of hiring and retaining a workforce that is representative of the communities clinics serve, including staff that are committed to patient-centered care and rooted in health equity. WPHCA develops relationships with local and statewide partners to expand the health care workforce pipeline, such as partnering with Area Health Education Centers and expanding access to Medical Assistant training programs.
What is a Community
Health Center?
Community Health Centers are designated as federally qualified health centers that provide primary, behavioral, and dental health care services to patients, regardless of their ability to pay. The 19 Community Health Centers in Wisconsin serve nearly 300,000 patients each year. Community Health Centers are not-for-profit clinics with patient-majority governing boards. To earn a federal designation, they must be located in or serve communities with limited access to traditional care networks, and may be in either rural or urban areas.
Interested in a career at a Community Health Center?
Community Health Centers aim to hire mission-driven employees with a passion for providing patient-centered care to systemically excluded communities. There are many opportunities in rural and urban areas, from “up north” to the state border and from the eastern coast of Lake Michigan to the bluffs of western Wisconsin. Community Health Centers employ clinical professionals such as physicians and dental hygienists and a wide range of staff to help patients overcome barriers like transportation, translation, or care coordination. Community Health Centers participate in the National Health Service Corps, a federal program that provides loan forgiveness for clinical professionals practicing in under-resourced communities for a number of years. Find a Community Health Center job that interests you.