CPCA to Celebrate 30 Years of Advancing Community Health in California!
Next year will mark the 30th anniversary of the California Primary Care Association (CPCA). Over the past three decades—including during the turbulent years of the COVID-19 pandemic—CPCA has been at the forefront of redefining health care delivery, providing support and collaborating with community health centers (CHCs) as they face new challenges.
As we look forward to commemorating this remarkable journey, it is essential to reflect on how far health centers have come in California. Once focused on providing primary care, these centers now offer a broad spectrum of services, including behavioral health support, dental and vision care, community health initiatives, and supportive services such as care coordination and transportation.
Additionally, their capacity to connect with the community-at-large has expanded exponentially through technologies like telehealth and collaborations with other community-based organizations, heralding a new era in accessible and inclusive health care. Today, close to 1,300 community health centers serve the state of California and provide comprehensive, high-quality care to about 7.7 million people – that’s one in every five Californians!
CPCA was created in 1994, when the health care landscape was very different. Like health centers, we have had to adapt and innovate along the way. But despite the changes we have seen in the last 30 years, our mission to lead and position CHCs as key players in the health care delivery system remains our guiding principle, and we continue to be driven to help CHCs overcome barriers to health care access. To that end, we continue to make strides in meeting the Five Bold Steps of our three-year Strategic Plan:
Health Center Optimization
Strengthen Workforce & Diversity
Achieve & Advance Regulatory Equity
Becoming a Center of Advocacy Power & Influence
Association Impact & Sustainability
Many of the new initiatives and programs featured in this issue of the Access Newsletter support the achievement of these goals, and we look forward to sharing more with you as we celebrate our collective achievements.
For our 30th Anniversary, we’d also like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of our staff as well as the support and collaboration of the Regional Associations of California (RAC) who have worked alongside our members to make health care accessible for California’s diverse population. Over the past three decades we have come together to fight for health care access for all Californians, regardless of their ability to pay, their insurance coverage, or their immigration status.
This milestone is also the perfect time to reflect on the commitment of the health care professionals who have provided direct care to patients and have continually adapted and evolved to meet the changing needs of their communities. The future holds even more promise as health centers continue to innovate and expand their reach, ushering in an era of health care that is truly inclusive, comprehensive, and centered around the well-being of every individual.
CPCA is immeasurably proud of the work done these past 30 years by our community health centers, the RAC, staff, and our many partners, and we can’t wait to celebrate YOU! We hope you will join us in celebrating our 30th Anniversary throughout the year. Stay tuned for exciting announcements, events, and ways to participate in the new year!