As hospitals face increasing patient volumes and complex care demands, community health centers have emerged as crucial partners in supporting hospital systems. According to the National Association of Community Health Centers, community health centers serve a record 32.5 million people nationwide, or 1 in 10 Americans. By integrating key clinical services, community health centers alleviate pressure on urban hospitals, enhance continuity of care, and improve health outcomes—particularly among underserved populations.
Preferred Clinical Spaces in Community Health Centers
Community health centers are evolving beyond basic outpatient services to include a range of clinical spaces that directly support hospital systems. Common services provided at community health centers include primary care, imaging services, urgent care, orthopedic services, rehabilitation and physical therapy, pharmacy services, and specialty clinics. By making these services local and accessible, these centers facilitate timely diagnosis and treatment, enhance patient recovery pathways, and improve treatment compliance, particularly for chronic conditions that require ongoing management. Additionally, these centers help alleviate the workload of hospitals, allowing them to focus on critical cases.
Working with a Healthcare Planner and Architect for Project Success
When planning a community health center, early collaboration with a healthcare planner and/or architect is essential for project success. These professionals bring critical expertise to align design with healthcare delivery goals, patient experience, regulatory compliance, and long-term flexibility. In the early stages of planning and design, a healthcare planner and architect consider not just the building, but also its relationship to the community it serves. This includes evaluating the site for accessibility, visibility, transportation connections, and integration with other local services.
The healthcare design team will utilize client data, such as current patient needs and anticipated growth projections, to help develop a program. This program begins to establish special requirements, adjacencies, and circulation throughout the community health center.
A key decision is whether to repurpose an existing building or pursue new construction. Repurposing a building can offer cost savings and quicker occupancy, especially in urban or underserved areas with limited land availability. However, existing structures may present limitations in layout, structural systems, or compliance with healthcare codes—potentially increasing renovation costs and creating operational inefficiencies.
New construction allows for a fully customized design tailored to programmatic needs, future growth, and energy efficiency. It provides the opportunity to establish the health center as a community anchor—complete with amenity spaces for patients, staff, and caregivers. This could include well-being rooms, educational spaces, and staff support areas that may be difficult to retrofit into existing buildings.
Ultimately, a healthcare planner and architect help navigate these choices, balancing cost, schedule, patient outcomes, and community impact. Their early involvement ensures that the health center not only meets functional and regulatory standards, but also fosters an inclusive, healing environment.
Whether repurposed or newly built, a well-planned community health center becomes more than a medical facility—it becomes an accessible resource that strengthens community health and resilience. Community health centers help hospitals operate more efficiently while ensuring that patients receive timely, high-quality care where they live.
This article originally appeared in High Profile Monthly.