For the fourth consecutive year, the Berks Community Health Center has been recognized by the Health Resources and Services Administration as a Gold Health Center Quality Leader.
The distinction is awarded to the top 10% of the over 1,400 federally qualified health centers in the U.S. for overall clinical quality, officials said in an announcement.
Officials said earning the recognition for the fourth straight year shows the health center’s continuing commitment to meeting the health care needs of the Berks community.
“I am running out of words to express my pride in our staff for earning this recognition a fourth consecutive year,” said Mary Kargbo, center president and CEO. “It is due to their tireless work, showing up every day and caring for every patient who walks through our doors, that we achieve this recognition.”
The health center opened in 2012 and now operates three brick-and-mortar sites and one mobile unit.
“When BCHC was founded fourteen years ago, we may have hoped we would one day achieve gold, but we never imagined we would do so four straight years,” said Kargbo, who recently announced she will be retiring in September. “It is a testament to thefoundation we have built here, and I am encouraged that BCHC will continue to provide excellent care for years to come.”
In addition to earning a Gold Health Center Quality Leader, the center again was recognized as a National Quality Leader for Behavioral Health, Preventative Health, and Advancing Health Information Technology. For the first time, the center was recognized as a National Quality Leader for Diabetes Health.
To receive the distinctions, the center must meet or exceed measurable targets for care.