North Bay Business Journal

SANTA ROSA — Santa Rosa Community Health Centers today said it was awarded The Joint Commission’s “Gold Seal of Approval” for accreditation, a relatively rare achievement for federally qualified health centers.

With full implementation of the health care law on everyone’s mind, from providers to insurers to employers, federally qualified health centers have long been viewed as a critical piece of expanding access, many of them anticipating an influx of new patients and thus an increase in services.

But while the Affordable Care Act will add significant funding for the nonprofit health sector, such health centers are rapidly evolving on their own, in part to address changes in health care but also in response to increasing demand, according to North Bay health center executives.

SANTA ROSA — Santa Rosa Community Health Centers recently opened its eighth location, Roseland Pediatrics, in the southwest area of the city, where the federally qualified health center said it now offers care for newborns, children and teens.

SANTA ROSA — Santa Rosa Community Health Centers and several other similar providers have recently expressed concern that the state may not be living up to terms of a settlement reached between health centers and the state over budget cuts that could eliminate services for low-income residents.

With the Supreme Court ruling Thursday to uphold major tenets of the Affordable Care Act, some clarity is finally emerging for employers and providers, but the political battle over health care reform will likely continue.

Local health care providers and insurance experts said there is now much-needed clarity, at least for now, as employers and municipalities across the state attempt to adapt to ever-evolving regulations. Several providers praised the ruling.

Do you agree with the U.S. Supreme Court decision on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010? Share your thoughts.

SANTA ROSA — Santa Rosa Community Health Centers is among a group of health organizations suing the state of California over planned reimbursement rates for certain services that are lower than what a group of federally qualified health centers say they are entitled to under federal rules.

SANTA ROSA — The Santa Rosa Community Health Centers last week celebrated the opening of the Brookwood Health Center, its newest location that will provide primary care and mental health services for mostly homeless and uninsured and underinsured residents.

NORTH BAY — While community health centers are widely seen as winners with the passage of a sweeping health bill in late March, such centers in California face potentially crippling state budget cuts, which could offset potential gains that won’t take effect until 2014, according to clinic directors throughout the North Bay.

SANTA ROSA — Now that the financial dust has at least temporarily settled following a flurry of fundraising, Santa Rosa Community Health Centers’ successful effort to obtain a new space for its expanding services underscores the importance of community health centers locally and mirrors a nationwide trend, officials said last week.

SONOMA COUNTY – The county’s largest federally qualified clinic, Southwest Community Health Center, will soon more than double its west Santa Rosa capacity with the signing of a lease with St. Joseph Health System Sonoma County.