BROWNSVILLE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER

The Brownsville Community Health Center (BCHC), a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), was originally established in the late 1940's. It was known then as the City Clinic and was located in the City Hall building. BCHC was started by a group of local health care professionals who volunteered their time to provide health care to those who could not otherwise afford it. By 1952, as the need increased, the City Commission merged forces with the Country Commission to share in the total cost of funding the clinic. A full time staff was hired and the clinic was relocated to an Army barracks building in the old Fort Brown Complex. Physicians from the community were recruited to assist at least one hour a week.

BCHC actively pursues linkages with health organizations to improve the health status of the community. BCHC has participated in the National Diabetes Collaborative, which emphasizes patient self-management along with a comprehensive set of direct care services. Through its many partnerships with local and state medical, dental, and allied health programs, the Center serves as a clinical rotation site for medical students, dental students, physician assistants, and other health professionals.

The growth continues with an effort to provide and expedite "quality care with excellence and dignity." We continue to move forward with plans to build a new state of the art facility in order to improve and expand much needed services to our community.