September 9, 2022 – For the fourth year in a row, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has awarded a gold-level “Health Center Quality Leader” to the Health Care District of Palm Beach County’s C. L. Brumback Primary Care Clinics. This recognition means the clinics are ranked among the top 10% of health centers nationally for best overall clinical quality measure (CQM). HRSA also awarded the clinics, which last year served nearly 35,000 patients, badges in the following categories:
- Access Enhancer: Recognizes health centers that have increased the total number of patients and the number of patients who receive at least one comprehensive service (mental health, substance abuse, vision, dental, and/or enabling) by at least 5%
- Health Disparities Reducer: Recognizes health centers that demonstrate at least a 10 percentage point improvement in low birth weight, hypertension control, and/or uncontrolled diabetes CQMs during consecutive Uniform Data System (UDS) reporting years (2020 and 2021 UDS) for at least one racial/ethnic group, while maintaining or improving the health center’s overall CQM performance from the previous reporting year; or meets established benchmarks for all racial/ethnic groups served within the most recent UDS reporting year.
- Advancing Health Information Technology (HIT) for Quality: Recognizes health centers that meet all criteria to optimize HIT services that advance telehealth, patient engagement, interoperability, and collection of social determinants of health data to increase access to care and advance quality of care.
- Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH): Recognizes health centers that provide health care that is relationship-based with an orientation toward the whole person.
“These awards reflect the efforts of our dedicated staff who provide quality care for our adult and pediatric patients, including the homeless and migrant populations,” said Belma Andrić, MD, MPH, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for the Health Care District of Palm Beach County.
HRSA’s Community Health Quality Recognition (CHQR) badges recognize Health Center Program awardees and look-alikes (LALs) that have made notable quality improvement achievements in the areas of access, quality, health equity, and health information technology. HRSA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which is the primary federal agency for improving health care to people who are geographically isolated, economically or medically vulnerable.
“Our primary care clinics serve as the front door of our safety net health care system,” said Darcy J. Davis, Health Care District CEO. “We appreciate this recognition and will continue to identify opportunities to expand access to quality primary care.”
The C. L. Brumback Primary Care Clinics provide quality medical, dental, behavioral health, medical treatment and therapy for substance use disorder, and pharmacy services regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. The 10 clinic sites throughout Palm Beach County, Florida, along with three mobile health clinics, are Federally Qualified Health Centers owned and operated by the Health Care District of Palm Beach County.
About the Health Care District
The Health Care District of Palm Beach County provides primary medical care and dental services for adults and children at the C. L. Brumback Primary Care Clinics, a coordinated and lifesaving Trauma System that includes two FAA-certified Trauma Hawk air ambulances, nurses in nearly 170 public schools, short and long-term skilled nursing at the Edward J. Healey Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Riviera Beach, and acute care at its teaching hospital, Lakeside Medical Center, which is accredited by The Joint Commission and serves the rural Glades’ communities.
About the C. L. Brumback Primary Care Clinics
This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number H80CS25684 for Health Center Cluster in the award amount of $7,278,563. Of the total project, 83% is financed with nongovernmental sources. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. The C. L. Brumback Primary Care Clinics were granted Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) deeming status effective January 1, 2022.
