Health Care Centers

Health care centers provide medical, dental and mental health services. They are community-driven nonprofit organizations.

These facilities come together to deliver high-quality, affordable healthcare. These include hospitals, clinics, outpatient surgery centers and long-term care facilities. Staffed by doctors, nurses and other professionals, these healthcare establishments strive to enhance people’s lives as well as that of their communities.

Hospitals

Hospitals provide 24-hour care to their patients. They offer medical, surgical, and nursing services.

They provide long-term care for people requiring extensive rehabilitation after injuries or accidents. Many have intensive care units dedicated to the most serious cases.

Hospitals come in all shapes and sizes, from general to specialty to district hospitals.

These facilities treat a range of conditions with the goal to save lives. They may have emergency departments, trauma centers or step-down units for patients who have received intensive care treatment.

Some hospitals are government-funded and receive public appropriations. Others, however, are private nonprofit institutions that charge fees; these latter establishments may be referred to as “free” hospitals.

Outpatient Clinics

Outpatient clinics provide a range of medical services and procedures without the need for overnight hospitalization. These include routine preventive care like annual physicals and vaccines, as well as minor surgical operations.

Outpatient centers also provide mental health services for children, including Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy which is an evidence-based treatment designed to improve motor and speech skills in children with autism. Since this type of treatment may not always be available at hospitals, outpatient clinics can be an important alternative for families in seeking care.

Outpatient clinics are becoming a staple in the healthcare industry as they offer patients a more convenient alternative than hospitalization. People can usually receive treatments quicker at outpatient clinics, which means they can return home sooner and resume normal activities more quickly. This has major advantages not only for patients, but also the health system: It reduces staffing needs at emergency rooms and allows hospitals to better meet patients’ needs efficiently.

Rehabilitation Centers

Rehabilitation centers provide a range of rehabilitative services to aid patients recover from various medical conditions. They typically offer physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and cognitive/behavioral therapies.

Rehabilitative services can be provided in hospitals or the community, depending on an individual’s needs. Their purpose is to enhance functional ability, maximize safety and independence for patients while preventing repeat or secondary conditions.

A rehabilitation center may be an ideal place for individuals in need of substance abuse treatment. There, doctors and counselors are available to identify triggers that could lead them to misuse drugs or alcohol.

Rehabilitative services can reduce healthcare system expenses by helping individuals maintain their maximum level of functioning and independence. This may include avoiding complications and readmissions to the hospital, keeping people in their homes, as well as increasing employment prospects and productivity.

Urgent Care

Urgent care centers are becoming a more and more prevalent part of the health care landscape, offering non-emergency treatments. Staffed by physicians, nurses and physician assistants, these centers offer many of the same services as hospitals.

Urgent care centers have become more commonplace as primary care doctors struggle to fill their waiting lists, particularly for those without insurance. These facilities can fill any gaps in primary care and provide treatment for non-life threatening conditions like a cold, sprained ankle or ear infection.

Undoubtedly, urgent care centers are not a replacement for primary healthcare, but they can offer timely medical attention that’s more budget friendly and less time consuming than visiting the emergency room. Furthermore, this frees up the emergency room only for truly emergent cases that cannot wait.