CBHA was founded by a group of community citizens who wanted to guarantee equal access to health care to all people living and working within Othellos trade area. In late 1971, a small group of concerned people gathered to brainstorm solutions to the healthcare crisis created by the growth of population, lack of physicians and low reimbursement to medical providers from public assistance. They wanted to find a way to financially support the medically indigent and to respond to the special needs of the migrants and seasonal farm workers and bring preventive medicine and educational programs to their doorsteps.
This small group found a lot of opposition to their vision, but continued to push forward. Their struggle made national news and finally perseverance paid off. The clinic opened with one staff physician working out of four exam rooms, and the first patient was seen in August 1973. We now support three clinics in Adams. Grant and Franklin County and offer a full range of services including Medical, Dental, Eye Care, Behavioral Health, and Family Service programs. Our paradigm of Family Medicine has proven to be exceedingly successful and obviously fills a health care void in rural Central Washington.
CBHA has a strong tradition of expanding access to health care and providing high-quality, comprehensive services to the communities we support. We will continue to use Studers Five Pillar model (Services, Quality, People, Finance, and Growth), as we have done in the past. But we are adding a new one the Community pillar, a key component for more fully integrating our clinics with the families and communities we serve. These pillars continue to provide the framework for setting our organizational goals and direction for services for the current 2019 2021 Strategic Plan.
PEOPLE Recruit, recognize, retain and reward top talent across all disciplines and functions. CBHA will pursue people who are passionate about the work we do and who choose to live the CBHA culture out loud.
FTCA Disclaimer: CBHA receives HHS funding and has Federal Public Health Service (PHS) deemed status with respect to certain health or health-related claims, including medical malpractice claims, for itself and its covered individuals.
Along with CBHAs executive team and leadership, the Board of Directors help define organizational goals and objectives that continue to serve our mission to provide equal access to all people in our communities.
As a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), more than half of our Board of Directors must represent the individuals that we serve like race, ethnicity and gender. And more than the majority of the Board must be patients of CBHA.
We are proud to introduce Columbia Basin Health Associations department leaders. These dedicated men and women manage clinic facilities and services and provide the guidance our teams need to best serve you.