A Quarterly Resource Digest from Capital Link                                                                                                     Summer 2019

Of Note...

Determining and Responding to Community Needs

PCAs and HCCNs can guide their member FQHCs, individually and collaboratively, to better meet the current and future healthcare needs of their communities. Statewide capital needs assessments and market assessments provide information to identify strategies for health center sustainability and growth.

Statewide Capital Needs Assessments

With so many new legislators, many PCAs and HCCNs have an opportunity to proactively measure and communicate the capital plans and needs of their member centers for potential state and local funding. Building off the national needs assessment completed in conjunction with NACHC and the 18 other NCAs, Capital Link conducts needs assessments (CNA) via electronic survey tools to help PCAs determine capital project plans, investment needs, sources of capital, projected funding gaps, and growth readiness to expand facilities to meet projected market need. We also ask member centers to provide details such as whether the project is to renovate or expand their existing facilities, open a new site, or augment their physical space to implement new services to meet patient/community needs. This information is then analyzed and PCAs use the resulting comprehensive report to help members identify potential funding sources and begin to strategize health center growth on a statewide basis.

Statewide Market Assessments

Capital Link conducts statewide market assessments to help PCAs and HCCNs determine the potential for growth, assess demographic trends, measure access, and identify gaps in care of target populations.

Key information includes:

• Demographic information on the low-income population (including race/ethnicity, employment, age, and location/zip code) including data on Medicaid enrollment and rate of uninsured. Typical data set includes demographic trend data, payer mix projections, and a market share analysis.

• Population projections for the next five years by specified geographies and historic population trends.

• Health status, health care, and social challenges of the state or region and by health center service areas, depending on available information. Capital Link analyzes the demographic information as well as additional data from medical societies, Medicaid, and other secondary sources to determine health and social needs, including an overview of the healthcare policy and economic outlook, and competition within the current market and/or potential markets for the locations specified.

• Supply of primary care, dental, and behavioral health providers and services. Based on our assessment of need, Capital Link provides an estimate of potential demand and the providers needed to serve that demand. We then identify any gaps in coverage.

• A mapping analysis to provide a visual understanding of the service area, including where patients live (by zip code) and where the highest concentrations of poverty and low-income residents can be found (by census tract or by zip code); location and supply of providers and the penetration of the low-income population by FQHCs and other partners (to the extent data is available) to identify unmet needs and/or gaps in care. 

For more information about Capital Link’s services or to sign up for an in-person meeting at the NACHC CHI, please contact Mark Lurtz, Director of Partnership Development, at 636-233-1515 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..