Alliance Health Centers awarded Silver Level Health Center Quality Leader Badge from HRSA

Fort Wayne, Ind. – Sept. 25, 2024 – Alliance Health Centers (AHC) recently received a Health Center Quality Leader badge at the silver level from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), in addition to Access Enhancer and Health Disparities Reducer badges. For 2023, AHC was one of two silver medal recipients in Indiana and the only Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) serving Fort Wayne to receive a quality medal.

"We are thrilled to receive these three badges from HRSA," said Dr. Nikki King, CEO of Alliance Health Centers. "These awards reflect our dedication to quality and access to care, which is driven by the support of our Board, our exceptional Quality Committee led by Dr. Eric Shoemaker, as well as the commitment of our healthcare providers and staff. Their daily focus on delivering personalized, affordable services ensures the best possible outcomes for our patients and community."

Quality Leader badges are awarded to community health centers across the U.S. that have made significant strides toward improving progress on HRSA’s designated clinical quality measures. Awarded the Quality Leader badge at the silver level, AHC is placed in the top 11-20% of U.S. health centers based on patient metrics. This is one level higher than the bronze-level badge, awarded to the organization for the previous year.

Access Enhancer badges are given to health centers that achieve at least one Quality Leader badge or show a 15% improvement in one or more clinical quality measures over two consecutive reporting years. Additionally, centers must increase the total number of patients served, including those receiving mental health, substance use disorder, vision, dental or enabling services, by at least 5% over the same period.

Health Disparity Reducer badges are given to health centers that earn the Access Enhancer badge while meeting additional criteria, such as improving rates of low birth weight, hypertension, or uncontrolled diabetes. The requirements for this badge also consider quality measures stratified by racial and ethnic groups.

For more information about the requirements to earn one of HRSA’s Quality Leader badges, please visit their Community Health Quality Recognition Overview website. You can also review yearly data from AHC and other community health centers at https://data.hrsa.gov/tools/data-reporting/program-data.