Recapping National Health Center Week
Golden Valley Health Centers was able to organize 2023 National Health Center Week proclamations from various entities including cities, counties, chambers, and more with various proclamation presentations seen in this collage. Image is shared with permission from Golden Valley Health Centers, the original owner.
Earlier this month, during the week of August 6, 2023, we celebrated National Health Center Week (NHCW), a week dedicated to community health centers. Each year, NHCW, sponsored by the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), honors and recognizes community health centers, their amazing staff, and the community organizations that support our mission. As we look back on NHCW, CaliforniaHealth+ Advocates wants to acknowledge the community health centers and their staff who hosted numerous events across the state and engaged in various forms of advocacy.
Although NHCW week focuses on raising awareness about the important work that community health centers do, it also is an opportunity to grow the community health center movement and increase those engaged in advocacy. This includes involving elected officials in NHCW to increase their awareness of community health centers and provide an opportunity for elected officials to hear directly from their constituents who care about this mission. This year, city, state, and federal representatives from across the state joined the weeklong celebration of community health centers. Some ways that CaliforniaHealth+ Advocates and various California community health centers engaged with elected officials and participated in advocacy during NHCW this year include the following:
Invited and hosted elected officials for site visit tours of community health centers.
Pass city and statewide resolutions or proclamations declaring August 6th-12th National Health Center Week
Sharing one’s “Why” and reason for supporting the community health center movement in a video on social media.
Invited and hosted elected officials at community wide events or ribbon cutting events.
Hosted a roundtable with an elected official to discuss community health center issues.
Tagged their elected official on social media posts.
One additional way that CaliforniaHealth+ Advocates prioritized advocacy this NHCW, was through a Senate resolution. At the request of CaliforniaHealth+Advocates, Senator Caroline Menjivar (D-20) authored a Senate resolution recognizing NHCW as August 6-12th and honoring community health centers and the vital roles they play in serving their communities. Due to summer recess, this resolution will likely be officially presented to the Legislature in late August. Follow us on social media @HealthPlusAdv for updates on the resolution introduction and to see highlights of the amazing advocacy that occurred during NHCW!