Special to The T&D

Family Health Centers Inc. will observe National Health Care Week 2008, Aug. 10-16, with a series of events including blood pressure and cholesterol checks, a voter registration drive, foot screenings, a patient appreciation day and employee appreciation day. The week will culminate with an inaugural Black Tie Gala, set for Saturday, Aug. 16, at The Cinema.

National Health Care Week is a campaign dedicated to recognizing America's Community Health Centers. This year's observance will focus on a plan to create more medical homes for the medically underserved and honor the health care heroes serving in community health centers.

Nationwide, CHCs are endorsing a plan to serve 30 million people by the year 2015 -- the Access for All America plan. Currently, two out of five South Carolinians are struggling without access to basic health care because of a local shortage of primary care doctors as well as geographic, cultural and financial barriers. With the Access plan, CHCs, which served as the health care home for almost 300,000 patients in 40 out of 46 counties in South Carolina last year, can almost double their reach and bridge the widening gap between the demands for primary health care services.

National Health Care Week sets aside two days to focus on special populations often left outside of the mainstream health care system. Health Care for the Homeless Day will be observed on Wednesday, Aug. 13, and the first-ever Farmworker Health Day will be observed Thursday, Aug. 14.

For more information about the Access for All America plan, visit www.nachc.com. For more information about National Health Center Week, visit www.healthcenterweek.org. To learn about local health care services, call FHC at 803-531-6900.

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