As a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) we understand that in order to truly address health disparities and inequities in our communities we must address the social determinants of health that impact over 80% of health outcomes. That is why at AltaMed Health Services we engage fully in civic engagement programs and conversations that address health care access, health care funding, affordable housing, access to healthy foods, and environmental racism, amongst other determinants.
In 2020, AltaMed launched a comprehensive, robust, and statewide effort in partnership with the California Primary Care Association, and other FQHCs in hopes to limit the undercount of the populations we serve, which are located in historically undercounted census tracts. As part of this partnership via our Integrated Civic Engagement Model we were able to reach over one million Latinos in the state in 2020 via phone canvassing, peer-to-peer texting, and most importantly direct assistance with filling out the census form at clinic sites.
Census enumeration in our service areas and the over 7 million patients served by FQHCs in California (and 29 million nationally) is critically important given the implications on funding for programs like Medi-Cal, Medicare, and other Health and Human Services funding that rely on accurate census data. Similarly, we understand that other critical programs that help address social determinants of health are also determined by funding formulas informed by census counts, including section 8 housing vouchers, childcare and education related funding, infrastructure and transportation, and programs under the Environmental Protection Agency. We believe that given our role as trusted messengers amongst Latinos and our role in serving some of the most severely and historically undercounted populations in the nation, FQHCs are positioned to play a major role in ensuring a full count in these communities for future decennial census.
