MCG’s Federally Qualified Health Center & Community Health Center Educational Partners

These are non-profit organizations providing health care access to insured, underinsured and uninsured individuals in underserved populations and communities. This whole community access approach of FQHCs is made possible by participation in a Federal Prospective Payment System, federal grants, philanthropy, and other programs as well as usual sources of payment for health care services. Most MCG education affiliated FQHCs are recognized or certified as a Patient Centered Medical Home by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Centers (AAAHC) or other national agencies facilitating quality through formal assessments and improvement strategies.

FQHCs, by regulations, provide interdisciplinary and comprehensive Primary Care to entire communities and serve as safety net providers by mitigating financial, logistical, cultural, and linguistic barriers to health care access to address health disparities, and promote prevention and wellness.

FQHCs provide comprehensive primary care to individuals and families which includes social services, behavioral health, pharmacy, substance abuse, health care outreach, laboratory, quality initiatives, and case management programs. Clinical outreach could also include School, Employee, and Farmworker (Agricultural) Health and care in patients’ homes or long-term care living facilities .  

The current group of 17 MCG educationally affiliated FQHCs is a part of 35 such health centers in Georgia each with multiple distributed clinical sites providing health care services to communities in most of the state’s 159 counties. The service areas of the MCG FQHC partners, as of 1/2025, includes approximately 92, mostly rural, Georgia counties (one in Aiken County, South Carolina). Many of these educational partners have a history of prior MCG student engagement. As this network continues to mature, we hope to increase our partnerships with other FQHCs in the state of Georgia.

Health care staffing in FQHCs could consist of physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, dentists, social workers, behavioral health specialists, dietitians, and associated clinical and administrative support staff.

The clinical care is provided by an interprofessional team of providers coordinated by physician team members.

CHCs are nonprofit health clinics committed to improving health care access for underserved communities and populations by providing Primary Care, prevention, wellness, and other health services to individuals and families regardless of financial or insurance status.

The inaugural MCG educationally affiliated CHCs receive financial operating support from the private sector, philanthropic, patient fees, insurance reimbursement, state and local grants, and other community affiliation resources.

This whole community access for insured, underinsured, and uninsured individuals is generally facilitated through collaboration with and support from local health care organizations (in some instances, federal or state sources), philanthropy, and other community partners as well as commercial and patient payment for health care services. Patients of CHCs generally reside in zip codes and/or geographic areas challenged by health care access, socioeconomics, and health disparities. CHCs, like FQHCs, are an essential part of the health care system assisting those who lack or have limited access to health care services.

The Primary Care clinical team of MCG’s CHC Educational Partners consists of Physicians, Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants. Along with the group of MCG educationally affiliated CHCs are numerous other-like health centers distributed throughout the state serving community health and health care needs.

For student community health education experiences, the three CHCs serving populations surrounding MCG’s main campus in Augusta were identified to promote student community service and educational engagement. Each has a history of formal and informal educational engagements with MCG students. As this network continues to mature, we hope to increase our partnerships with other CHCs.

The MCG affiliated CHCs provide comprehensive primary care services to individuals and families and facilitate access to other community services to address healthcare and social service needs.