As the national debate over health care in America heats up, it is important to recognize the critical role played by community health clinics like Community Health Center of the Black Hills.

In an era of unprecedented escalation in health care costs, community health centers have been praised as a care model that provides significant cost savings as well as quality, preventive primary, dental and specialty healthcare. Recently, President Bush stated that one of the real strains on local hospitals and medical providers is the use emergency rooms for primary care. He praised primary care facilities like community health centers as a "better way to spend money and solve a very important problem."

Last year, CHC Black Hills responded to the health care needs of more than 12,000 South Dakotans. Approximately half of these patients are uninsured.

These patients are the everyday citizens of the Black Hills region including those who cannot afford expensive insurance premiums, are denied insurance due to a prior health condition, or live at or below the federal poverty level. For the uninsured, the CHC Black Hills offers its services on a sliding fee scale based on family size and income. Patients with insurance can also qualify to have the sliding fee scale applied to their insurance deductible.

CHC Black Hills began in August 1992 when Pennington County and Rapid City received a grant to create a Federally Qualified Health Center to address the health care needs of the medically underserved. Since then, CHC Black Hills has expanded to include an Oral Health Center and outreach centers for the homeless.

A wide spectrum of patients utilize services provided by CHC of the Black Hills due to the quality of care provided by the center's family practice, internal medicine, pediatric, general dentistry and mental health providers. In addition, special program that provide enhanced case management and health education for chronic illnesses such as diabetes and depression, prescription assistance and family planning also makes CHC Black Hills an attractive medical home.

Everyday, the physicians, dentists, nurses, medical assistants and support staff at CHC Black Hills are doing their part to meet the health care needs of this region. It is important to remember this role and support your local community health center.