Affordable Care Act Funds Coming to Carrboro

Primary care services in Carrboro are getting a boost from the Affordable Care Act.

The Carrboro Community Health Center will receive more than $270,000 in funds from the Affordable Care Act to improve primary health care services, according to Jason deBruyn with the Triangle Business Journal.

“One of the big drivers of health care costs, in the United States, is that people just simply don’t take advantage of primary care,” he says. “The primary care physicians don’t have enough control over treatment of patients at sort of a basic level.

“And that leads to all kinds of downstream problems – chronic illnesses, people showing up in the emergency rooms, having expensive surgeries – when maybe they could have managed their diseases much better.”

deBruyn says this money will turn into supplies needed at the facility or for community outreach programs.

“You could have health clinics where you go out to churches or community centers and help educate people on proper eating,” he says. “Or have people in the community centers encouraging patients to come in for health checkups.

“Or even put in health-screening day, where you tell people ‘come on in for free, and we’ll screen you for your health.’”

deBruyn adds routine primary care health checkups are a vital factor in lowering health care costs and maintaining higher levels of health across our community.

“Health systems, hospitals, doctors, it’s something they’ve been trying to do a much better job of here lately,” he says, “getting people in for those routine checkups.

“Just like you would getting your oil changed in your car. It’s maybe a bit of a crass example but not that dissimilar.”

These funds are a piece of the most recent distribution from the Health Resources and Services Administration, according to deBruyn. He says the funds in the Tar Heel state total nearly $4 million, which will translate to serve more than 20,000 new patients in North Carolina alone.

The Carrboro Community Health Center is part of the Piedmont Health Services network.

Other recipients in North Carolina, according to deBruyn, are the Appalachian District Health Department in Sparta, Blue Ridge Community Health Services in Hendersonville, Rural Health Group in Roanoke Rapids, and Triad Adult and Pediatric Medicine in Greensboro.

Affordable Care Act Funds Coming to Carrboro

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