Since 1972, the Rhode Island Health Center Association (RIHCA) has been the voice of community based primary care health programs. Focusing on Rhode Island’s community health centers, the Association plays a vital role in educating federal, state and local policymakers about issues relating to health care and the role of the community health centers in the health care continuum.

The Association supports the health centers in their efforts to provide every Rhode Islander with high-quality health care regardless of their ability to pay. RIHCA has ten organizational members, including eight Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Block Island Health Services, an island-based health center, and one associate member, The Providence Center, a community mental health center.

What we do

RIHCA has a long and accomplished history of providing support to the community health centers. For over 50 years, the Association has witnessed the emergence of the community health center movement and has supported the development and expansion of community health centers throughout Rhode Island. During this period, the needs of the community health centers have changed in response to their communities and to the overall health care environment, and consequently, so has the Association’s response to the community health centers.

RIHCA serves as the state’s primary care association and provides leadership in the areas of chronic care collaboratives, emergency preparedness, recruitment and retention of staff, outreach and enrollment, and public policy. In addition, RIHCA provides ongoing training and technical assistance to its members to support their continued role as the only public primary care infrastructure in Rhode Island. RIHCA is constantly reviewing the needs and performance of the health centers to assess the priority areas in order to ensure their ability to continue to provide and expand safety net services.