Federally Qualified Health Centers (also known nationally as Community Health Centers) like Eastern Iowa Health Center (EIHC) are the country’s largest primary care network and the health care home for 30 million Americans in more that 14,000 communities. Community Health Centers are a critical element of the health system, serving both rural and urban communities, often providing the only accessible and dependable source of primary care in their communities.

Community Health Centers like EIHC are on the front lines of emerging health care crises, providing access to care for our nation’s veterans, addressing the opioid epidemic, and responding to public health threats in the wake of natural disasters. We are an accredited, patient-centered medical home, offering comprehensive primary healthcare services to the community, regardless of ability to pay. 

The need for EIHC’s services continues to grow. Across our five-service lines (Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Women’s Health, OB/GYN, Behavioral Health, and Dental), we provided 49,000 billable patient visits to community members in the past 12 months and are on our way to 71,000 billable patient visits in 2025. Fully 64% of EIHC patients are at or below 100% if the poverty level: $32,100 family of four.

Of the 46 languages interpreted at EIHC in 2023, the top four were:

• English
• Swahili
• Spanish
• African French

Foster Healthier Patients, Medication Compliance and a Healthier Community

With the closure of Hy-Vee on First Avenue, 1,800 individuals who received their prescriptions from EIHC and had them filled at this store were left without a pharmacy home. 

This new and exciting chapter for EIHC and our community will provide access to an in-house pharmacy. Our patients, the majority who are socio-economically challenged, will receive needed medications on site, thus increasing medication compliance and improving overall health. 

On-site pharmacists will be available to explain how to correctly take medications and will work alongside interpreters for those patients who do not speak English as their first language. Those that will benefit are the uninsured, underinsured, the insured, women, children, men, the elderly, veterans local non-profit partners, those who struggle with transportation, socio economically marginalized populations and our community at large.

Impact

Eastern Iowa Health Center’s (EIHC) goals are always determined by what our community tells us they need to live happier, healthier lives. In addition to the cost of prescriptions being prohibitive for most of our patients, nearly all our patients have transportation issues that prevent them from being able to access needed medications. 

In February of 2024, a blind pharmacy survey was given to EIHC patients as to whether an on-site pharmacy would be a benefit that they would use. Of those surveyed, 75% said they would prefer to use an on-site pharmacy at EIHC for their prescription needs. The need is great and growing for affordable medications.

EIHC’s pharmacy will be self-sustaining once it is established.