One Community Health will triple size of its Sacramento primary care clinics in next 3 years
One Community Health, originally founded in 1989 to serve people with HIV/AIDS, will be expanding its Sacramento-area facilities over the next two to three years to meet growing demand from a diverse population of patients.
The clinic expanded its primary care services in 2015, when it became a federally qualified health center, said Michelle Monroe, the organization’s chief executive officer. Since then, they’ve increased the overall patient population by 230%.
To help meet Sacramento’s growing demand for health care services, Monroe said, One Community Health has acquired two buildings — one in downtown Sacramento and the other in the Arden-Arcade area. When construction is completed, One Community Health will have three times the 59,000 square feet it now occupies.
Sacramento has an “astonishing need for health care services” that is not currently being met, Monroe explained. And demand will continue to grow.
Increased federal subsidies have allowed Californians to buy health insurance policies through Covered California for as little as $10 a month. Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislators also have expanded Medi-Cal coverage to young adults under 26 and undocumented residents ages 50 and older who meet eligibility requirements. And in 2024, Medi-Cal will open up to state residents between 26 and 49 who do not have satisfactory immigration status.
Longtime capital residents may still think of this health care organization as CARES, which stood for the Center for AIDS Research, Education & Services. The organization changed to Cares Community Health in 2015 and then One Community Health in 2017.
The clinic serves roughly 3,000 people living with HIV/AIDS, including 4,000 children, said Monroe. About 9,500 of its 18,000-plus patients identify as heterosexual.
From the earliest days of the organization, medical, administrative and support staff have reached out to people outside the clinic doors to let them know they would not face stigma or marginalization at the CARES clinic, Monroe said. That work has continued as the name changed and the clinic moved into offering primary care.
The Arden area clinic, for instance, serves many refugees from war-torn areas of the world, Monroe said.
One Community Health has been investing some of its operating income over the years, and it is using a portion of those funds to buy and renovate its new buildings and add equipment. In addition to reimbursements for medical and dental care it provides, One Community Health contracts with UC Davis Health to offer pharmacy services at its midtown campus, 1500 21st St.
The clinic has bought a building at 1507 21s St., that will allow it to expand behavioral health services; dental care; primary care, including a walk-in clinic; and a prenatal health education program.
Their Arden-Arcade campus, at 1442 Ethan Way, will eventually move into a building at 3540 Kings Way, Monroe said, and it will add services now offered in midtown such as HIV treatment and walk-in pharmacy. The new building also will have more room for dental and primary care patients.
