Program areas at PCDC
Pcdc provides capital financing and expertise to increase Primary Care capacity and advance health equity. Pcdc is a key source of capital for the Primary Care sector and, to date, has financed over 250 Primary Care projects valued at more than $1.7 billion. This investment has created the capacity to provide 4.8 million medical visits annually to meet the Primary Care needs of more than 1.4 million patients throughout the united states. Pcdc's investments have transformed 2.8 million square feet of space into fully functioning Primary Care practices and created or preserved over 20,000 jobs in low-income communities. Pcdc has experienced no loan losses in its portfolio to date and has received an aeris rating of aa+ in financial strength and performance and a four-star rating (the highest possible rating) in impact management. Highlights of recent capital investment accomplishments include: - santa cruz community health center: santa cruz community health center, a federally qualified health center and a hrsa-designated healthcare for the homeless provider, received $10 million in new markets tax credits and a $2 million loan from pcdc to construct a new 20,000 square foot, two-story health center. This new facility will provide medical, behavioral health and specialty Care, focusing on pediatrics and those experiencing homelessness.- mount vernon neighborhood health center: mount vernon neighborhood health center, an article-28 diagnostic and treatment center and federally qualified health center (fqhc), received a $4 million loan from pcdc to fund the renovation of the health center's mount vernon facility. This project serves a great need as the city is a health resources services administration-designated medically underserved area and experiences significant health disparities compared to the county as a whole.- premier community healthcare group: premier community healthcare group, a federally qualified health center that serves pasco and hernando counties in Florida, received $16.5 million in new markets tax credits and $1.9 million in loans to replace two outdated locations with new facilities that will feature behavioral and dental services, as well as enhanced women's health and on-site lab facilities. This expansion will enable premier to nearly double its Primary Care capacity from 8,869 to 12,682 patients.
High-quality and accessible Primary Care saves lives and is essential to achieving a strong and equitable health Care system, yet it continues to be undervalued and underfunded. The harmful effects of limited Primary Care access and resources are starkest in communities of color and other historically disinvested communities. Pcdc supports policy initiatives that promote health equity by expanding and ensuring access to quality Primary Care. We advocate for policies that increase investment in Primary Care, improve Primary Care access, and support and expand the Primary Care workforce in communities that need it most. Pcdc also analyzes data to understand the current state of Primary Care access and health inequitiesinforming stronger policy and interventions in communities.highlights of recent policy, communications, and research & evaluation accomplishments include: - drafting and leading campaigns for legislation to increase access to Primary Care in new york state: pcdc worked closely with lawmakers and with a lobbying firm, to advocate for legislation that would expand and enhance Primary Care in new york state and later for budget language to increase new york state's investment in the new york state community health Care revolving capital loan fund, which is administered by pcdc. The legislation, s5139/a4593, which would have amended the health Care revolving loan fund's enabling legislation to create new uses for the funds, passed out of committee but did not advance further. However, the budget language was included in the final budget, adding an additional $10 million to be loaned to safety net providers to expand access to Care. Later in 2023, pcdc was instrumental in advocating for the introduction of legislation to require payors in the state to measure their spending on Primary Care, report it out and ultimately increase it to 12% of their overall health Care spending. By the end of december 2023, senator gustavo rivera had introduced senate bill 1197, including those elements. Pcdc policy staff began to create materials to support the legislation, which will continue in 2024. - analyzing state Primary Care policy trends across the country to encourage policymakers to consider new ideas: in early 2023, pcdc released a report documenting major trends in state policy on Primary Care across the country, reviewing hundreds of pieces of legislation to find the proposals that held promise for the future of Primary Care. Over the course of 2023, pcdc staff analyzed that year's legislative session proposals to follow up on that initial report, documenting the continuing trends in some areas, such as Primary Care investment, as well as new ideas emerging in areas such as expanding the Primary Care workforce. - releasing report and presenting findings on Primary Care access: pcdc's research & evaluation team issued a new brief within its points on Care series: redlining in new york city: a lens on Primary Care and maternal health, which highlights the lasting impacts of systemic racism as shown by a neighborhood history of redlining, and demonstrates that health outcomes for mothers and infants reflect the vast and deeply ingrained inequities that continue to be felt by these communities today. Pcdc also did two presentations at the national association of community health centers (nachc) annual conference one on the impact of fqhc penetration on covid-related mortality across four u.s. cities, and one on a case study of how a large fqhc in new york city adapted to provide continuous Care to its type ii diabetes patients during the covid-19 pandemic.- advocating publicly and frequently for improved Primary Care access: through multiple public comments and signing on to letters from other organizations, pcdc lent its voice to multiple policy concerns including disparities in Primary Care access across new york state; the need to integrate Primary and behavioral health Care; and prioritizing Primary Care in covid-19 recovery, including through stimulus funding, and, in particular, policies that would threaten the stability and effectiveness of the federal 340b drug pricing program at the federal and state levels. The goal throughout these activities was to advance policies that increase access to quality Primary Care, enabling it to more successfully improve health outcomes, reduce costs, and improve health equity.
Pcdc's consulting & training team provided consulting, training, and coaching services to more than 4,800 Primary Care organizations across the country. Our staff brings extensive expertise across operations, financial management, and team-based and integrated Care models; most hold graduate degrees and average between 10 to 15 years of experience working directly with priority populations. This "real-world" experience enables pcdc to better understand the needs of our clients and to craft capacity-building solutions that will be highly sustainable and impactful.highlights of recent consulting & training accomplishments include: - assisting over 1,200 Primary Care sites in achieving patient-centered medical home (pcmh) recognition: the milestone reflected the success of pcdc's content experts, whose strategic leadership, practice coaching, and technical assistance have guided community health centers, hospital outpatient centers, private practices, and special needs providers nationwide. A growing body evidence shows the pcmh model reduces health Care costs and unnecessary use of services, such as emergency department visits.- launching financial management and literacy services: responding to the needs of private practices and smaller health centers, pcdc launched a new suite of training and coaching services to support health Care professionals to build their knowledge, confidence, and skills related to the financial management of a Primary Care organization. This work responds to a growing need for more than the executives and physician owner/operators to be stewards of their organization's financial position. - completion of 75 custom technical assistance projects with small healthcare businesses: with the support of the wells fargo foundation, pcdc supported 75 small healthcare businesses (Primary Care and behavioral health organizations located in historically marginalized communities) to help improve their business stability as they emerge from the covid19 pandemic. Practices were provided with financial management support, business operations improvement coaching, and training for their workforce to be better positioned to engage their communities.