Safety Net Health Care Facilities
What is a Critical Access Hospital, or a Rural Health Clinic? What are the differences between these safety net facilities? We've compiled a basic overview to help you understand more about the various safety net health care facilities.
Download "Safety Net Health Care Facilties" as a PDF here
The Health Care Safety Net
What is the health care safety net?
We define a health care safety net facility as a rural, urban, public or nonprofit healthcare organization with a stated mission or mandate of serving a low-income population, regardless of patients’ insurance coverage, ability to pay or immigration status.
Types of Safety Net Facilities
Critical Access Hospital (CAH)
Rural hospitals with 25 or fewer acute care inpatient beds that provide 24/7 emergency care services.
Community Health Center (CHC)
Nonprofit, patient-governed organizations that provide high-quality, comprehensive primary healthcare to people living in areas with few primary care providers. Health centers help increase access to crucial primary care by reducing barriers such as cost, lack of insurance, distance, and language for their patients.
Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC)
Specially-designated clinic required to serve anyone who requests care for mental health or substance use, regardless of their ability to pay, place of residence, or age, and are designed to ensure quick access to coordinated comprehensive behavioral health care.
Correctional Health Facility
Community health encompassing healthcare and well-being for individuals who are involved in the criminal justice system.
Community Mental Health Center (CMHC)
Community-based programs that offer a variety of services to support mental health.
Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC)
FQHCs, also referred to as community health centers, are public and private non-profit community-based and patient-directed health care organizations that receive federal funding to provide primary care, dental care, and behavioral health care to all patients, regardless of income or insurance status. FQHCs include community health centers, migrant health centers, healthcare for the homeless health centers, and public housing primary care centers.
FQHC Look-a-Like
Health centers that provide similar services as FQHCs but do not receive federal health center funding.
Indian Health Service site (IHS)
Part of the federal government that delivers health care to American Indians and Alaska Natives and provides funds for tribal and urban Indian health programs.
Rural Health Clinic (RHC)
Utilize the skills of primary care Physician Assistant or Nurse Practitioners and receive enhanced Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements which allow clinicians to live and practice in rural, underserved areas of the country.
Rural Emergency Hospital
Designed to maintain access to emergency outpatient hospital services in communities that may not be able to support or sustain a Critical Access Hospital or small rural hospital. REHs are required to provide 24-hour emergency and observation services and can elect to furnish other outpatient services. An REH cannot have inpatient beds, except those furnished in a distinct part unit licensed as a skilled nursing facility.
State Mental Health Hospital
A facility that provides specialized inpatient care for mental health conditions. Also referred to as Psychiatric Hospitals, which are facilities that provide specialized inpatient care for mental health conditions. Substance Use Disorder Treatment Facility Inpatient or outpatient facility providing treatment program for substance use disorders offering individual, group, or family therapy sessions.
Veterans Affairs (VA) site
Provides Veterans with the full continuum of health care, which comprises health promotion, disease prevention, diagnostics, therapeutic and rehabilitative care, recovery and palliative care.
Resources
Government Offices Supporting Safety Net Facilities
Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP)
https://www.hrsa.gov/about/organization/bureaus/forhp
Primary Care Offices (PCO)
https://bhw.hrsa.gov/shortage-designation/hpsa/primary-care-offices
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
https://www.samhsa.gov/
Other Helpful Resources
Health Centers: A Guide for Patients
https://bphc.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/bphc/about/health-center-handout.pdf
Rural Health Information Hub (RHIhub)
https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/
Associations Supporting Safety Net Facilities
3RNET
https://www.3rnet.org/
American Hospital Association Rural Health Services (AHA)
https://www.aha.org/advocacy/rural-health-services
Association Of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU)
https://clinicians.org/
National Association of Rural Mental Health (NARMH)
https://www.narmh.org/
National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC)
https://www.nachc.org/
National Association of Rural Health Clinics (NARHC)
https://www.narhc.org/narhc/Default.asp
National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA)
https://www.nnoha.org/
The National Council for Mental Wellbeing (NCMW)
https://www.thenationalcouncil.org
National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH)
https://nosorh.org/
National Rural Health Association (NRHA)
https://www.ruralhealth.us/
Primary Care Associations (PCA)
https://bphc.hrsa.gov/technical-assistance/strategic-partnerships/primary-care-associations