What Is The Importance Of Local Health Centres

Local Health Centres have been operating across the country for over 45 years providing a wide range of services and health promotion activities to people regardless of their ability to pay. This is crucial to the well-being of the general population, especially the classes that are under the greatest economic, medical, and social stresses.

If you know anything about the healthcare industry in the United States, you know that paying the medical bill from your own funds is extremely expensive and, quite honestly, not feasible. Local Health Centres receive funding from the Department of Health under the Community Health Program.

These centers sit alongside privately funded services to make up the majority of the health service in the country. By design, Local Health Centres are run by members of the community they serve to ensure that proper care is imparted to people who need it the most.

Aims of Local Health Services


• Encouraging people to take an active part in managing their own health.

• Working with general practitioners and other health professionals to provide complete care

• Promoting the prevention of lifestyle-based diseases through exercise and a healthy diet

• Developing different health care programs for comprehensive care for the community

• Coordinating the activities between primary and secondary healthcare providers

Services offered by Local Health Centres

• Medical and nursing services

• Dental and oral care

• Support and counseling services

• Health promotional activities

• Geriatric (Aged Care) services

• Addiction programs

• Mental health programs

• Maternity and child care services

• Allied health including physiology, dietetics, and speech therapy

What is the importance of Local Health Centres?

These Local Health Centres are especially important for people who cannot afford to go to a private doctor even for the most basic of health needs. Furthermore, studies have shown that communities that have local health centers have a better economy than those that do not. These centers often act as engines of job creation and economic activity.

Since Local Health Centres are very involved with the people they treat and are essentially built with and through the community, they are capable of recognizing the needs of the community in a much more integrated way. With targeted and effective healthcare programs tailored for the requirements of the locality, there is much less incidence of need for expensive hospital care. Aside from providing quality healthcare, the local health centers also help the neighborhoods in which they are located.

The Local Healthcare Centres are mandatorily governed by community boards that have the authorization to hire or fire executives, establish policies, and approve budgets. All these factors ensure that neighborhoods are served effectively and efficiently.

Here are the key benefits of having a Local Health Centre in your community:

• Especially if located in a high-needs community, it can stimulate job growth and improve general health

• They provide healthcare to all individuals irrespective of their income or ability to pay

• They provide all-inclusive healthcare services

• They are governed by a community board

The first image that often comes to mind when people refer to Local Health Centres is one that of the treatment of people living under the poverty line. But in fact, these centers provide healthcare to all individuals who seek it regardless of their capacity to pay.

If you have any concerns or inhibitions about going to a local center for seeking medical help, we suggest that you check it out for yourself. One of the best aspects of these centers is that you will, more often than not, be attended to on the same day. You will not need to make appointments long in advance or inconveniently schedule a great deal of time for it.

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