Special Populations

Community Health Centers provide person-centered care to everyone in our communities, regardless of their insurance status or their ability to pay for care.  Each year, Community Health Centers in Wisconsin served over 4,000 patients experiencing homelessness.  

Health Care for the Homeless Sites in Wisconsin
While all Health Centers in Wisconsin serve patients experiencing homelessness, Wisconsin has three Community Health Centers who  have a special designation by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to serve  this population. Health Centers with this special designation are often referred to as, “Health Care for the Homeless ” sites. Health Care for the Homeless Health Centers receive funding under Section 330(h) of the Public Health Service Act to deliver direct health care , outreach services, and support services  to people experiencing homelessness.  

Health Care for the Homeless designee Health Centers provide access to medical, dental, and behavioral health care (including substance use disorder treatment), directly outreach to people experiencing homelessness at shelters, on the street, and in partnership with other organizations, and provide enabling service support to support patients to get connected to resources.

In Wisconsin, Partnership Community Health Center, N.E.W. Community Clinic, and Outreach Community Health Centers, all serve as dual-designated Community Health Centers and Health Care for the Homeless sites. Learn more about each of these Health Centers below.

• Partnership Community Health Center – Appleton, Oshkosh, Waupaca
• N.E.W. Community Clinic – Green Bay
• Outreach Community Health Centers – Milwaukee

How HRSA defines “Homelessness”
There are varying definitions according to federal, state, and nonprofit agencies on what constitutes homelessness.  For the purposes of health centers receiving a Health Center Program award or designation under section 330(h) of the Public Health Service Act, the population served includes individuals:

• Who lack housing (without regard to whether the individual is a member of a family)   
• Whose primary residence during the night is a supervised public or private facility that provides temporary living accommodations
• Who reside in transitional housing; and/or
• Who reside in permanent supportive housing or other housing programs that are targeted to homeless populations

Under section 330(h), a Health Center may continue to provide services for up to 12 months to formerly homeless individuals whom the health center has previously served but are no longer homeless as a result of becoming a resident in permanent housing and may also serve children and youth at risk of homelessness, homeless veterans, and veterans at risk of homelessness. (Section 330(h) of the PHS Act)

Source:  https://bphc.hrsa.gov/programrequirements/compliancemanual/glossary.html

Resources
The following resources offer specialized support in meeting the health needs of individuals and families experiencing homelessness.

National Health Care for the Homeless Council (NHCHC) NHCHC works to improve homeless health care through training and technical assistance, research and sharing of best practices, and advocating for solutions to end homelessness by uplifting voices of people experiencing homeless. NHCHC is a member-organization funded through HRSA. Learn more about NHCHC here.

Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) CSH seeks to “advance solutions that use housing as a platform for services to improve the lives of the most vulnerable people, maximize public resources and build health communities” by providing training, technical assistance, and consulting services, advocacy for policy reform, and through lending programs to developing supportive housing solutions. Learn more about CSH here.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) provides a special designation to Community Health Centers who have a particular mission to serve Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Workers (MSAW). These Health Centers are often referred to as, “Migrant Health Centers” and receive funding under Section 330(g) of the Public Health Service Act.

Much like Community Health Centers (CHCs), Migrant Health Centers (MHCs) provide healthcare services to patients in medically underserved areas, ensuring access to care as a top priority. CHCs and MHCs ensure that patients are able to access affordable, high quality services regardless of insurance status. MHCs also respond to the specific needs of the migrant families they serve by ensuring a culturally and linguistically appropriate environment, culturally sensitive clinical protocols, and accessible service delivery options.

Migrant Health Centers in Wisconsin:
Wisconsin currently has one dual-designated Migrant Health Center and Community Health Center: Noble Community Clinics. Noble Community Clinics serve MSAW communities across the state with their mobile unit and has five sites in Central Wisconsin (Wautoma, Beaver Dam, Mauston, Friendship, and Stevens Point). Additionally, migrant and seasonal agricultural workers and their families can access services at Community Health Centers across the state.

Definition of Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Workers:
For the purposes of health centers receiving a Health Center Program award or designation under section 330(g) of the Public Health Service Act, the term “migrant and seasonal agricultural workers” include:

• • Migratory agricultural workers who are individuals whose principal employment is in agriculture, and who have been so employed within the last 24 months, and who establish for the purposes of such employment a temporary abode;

  • Seasonal agricultural workers who are individuals whose principal employment is in agriculture on a seasonal basis and who do not meet the definition of a migratory agricultural worker;

  • Individuals who are no longer employed in migratory or seasonal agriculture because of age or disability who are within such catchment area; and/or

  • Family members of the individuals described above.
    Source: https://bphc.hrsa.gov/programrequirements/compliancemanual/glossary.html 

Resources
The following resources offer specialized support in meeting the health needs of Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Workers.

Health Outreach Partners Health Outreach Partners (HOP) believes that outreach fulfills a critical need to increase access to health and social services and decrease health disparities for low-income, vulnerable populations. HOP supports safety net health organizations, such as community health centers, to build and strengthen their efforts to increase access to services and decrease disparities. Click here to go to their website.

MHP Salud We are a national nonprofit organization that implements and runs Community Health Worker (CHW) programs. These programs provide peer health education, increase access to health resources and bring community members closer. MHP Salud also has extensive experience offering health organizations training and technical assistance on CHW programming tailored to their specific needs.

Migrant Clinician’s Network Migrant Clinicians Network is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides support, technical assistance, and professional development to clinicians in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and other health care delivery sites. Through webinars, on-the-ground trainings, resource development, and advocacy, MCN enables clinicians to provide quality health care, increased access, and reduced disparities for people who need ongoing care but are experiencing outside forces that exacerbate their vulnerability. Click here to visit their website.

Farmworker Justice Farmworker Justice is a nonprofit organization that seeks to empower migrant and seasonal farmworkers to improve their living and working conditions, immigration status, health, occupational safety, and access to justice. Click here to visit their website.

National Advisory Council on Migrant Health NACMH advises, consults, and makes recommendations to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the HRSA Administrator, concerning the organization, operation, selection, and funding of migrant health centers and other entities assisted under section 330(g) of the Public Health Service Act. For more information, click here.

National Center for Farmworker Health The National Center for Farmworker Health (NCFH) is a private, not-for-profit corporation located in Buda, Texas dedicated to improving the health status of farmworker families. We provide information services, training and technical assistance, and a variety of products to community and migrant health centers nationwide, as well as organizations, universities, researchers and individuals involved in farmworker health. Click here to visit their website.

Rural Health Information Hub (RHI) The Rural Health Information Hub, formerly the Rural Assistance Center, is funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy to be a national clearinghouse on rural health issues. We are committed to supporting healthcare and population health in rural communities. The RHIhub is your guide to improving health for rural residents—we provide access to current and reliable resources and tools to help you learn about rural health needs and work to address them. Click here to visit their website.

Health Center Resource Clearinghouse The Health Center Resource Clearinghouse addresses the competing demands placed on a busy public health workforce by providing a broad framework of resources, tools, and supports to facilitate professionals’ ability to access and utilize critical resources. Click here to visit the Health Center Resource Clearinghouse.