South Carolina Primary Health Care Association

The mission of the South Carolina Primary Health Care Association (SCPHCA) is to provide a unified supportive infrastructure that facilitates access to community based primary, behavioural and other health care services to every community in South Carolina.

Objectives:

• Governance by a patient majority Board of Directors
• Service in a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) or to a Medically Underserved Population (MUP)
• Provision of services regardless of ability to pay
• Provision of primary, oral, mental health/substance abuse services to patients in all stages of the life cycle
• Board approved sliding fee scale based on patient income and family size
• Compliance with all federal and state regulations

The South Carolina Primary Health Care Association (SCPHCA) is the unifying organization for  Community Health Centers (CHCs) in  South Carolina.  CHCs are time-tested models of community-based care. They represent public and private partnerships working together to improve the health status of their respective communities.  First established in 1964, CHCs are community-based, non-profit organizations that provide comprehensive, high-quality, patient-focused health care services in a culturally appropriate manner.  With a focus on primary care, prevention, education, and case management, CHCs accept most health insurance plans including Medicare and Medicaid and for those patients without insurance, services are provided on a sliding fee scale based on the patient's income and family size.  CHCs receive federal grants through the United States Department of Health and Human Services Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) to partially support the cost of providing health care to the nation's growing uninsured population.