Golden Valley Health Centers (GVHC) is proud to announce that it has earned the Gold ACE status from the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC). This is the highest level of recognition in the NACHC Advocacy Center of Excellence (ACE) Program, which supports and recognizes health centers that achieve specific measures of advocacy success and demonstrate an ongoing commitment to advocacy by making it an organizational priority.
GVHC is one of only three health centers in California to have achieved Gold ACE status. This is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff and leadership, who are committed to advocating for health equity and access to care for the patients we serve.
The ACE Program measures advocacy success in four areas:
- Policy impact: The extent to which health centers have influenced policy changes that improve access to care for their patients.
- Public awareness: The extent to which health centers have raised awareness of the importance of community health centers and the challenges they face.
- Workforce development: The extent to which health centers have trained and supported staff to engage in advocacy.
- Organizational capacity: The extent to which health centers have the infrastructure and resources to support advocacy efforts.
GVHC has demonstrated success in all four areas of the ACE Program. For example, we have worked with state legislators to pass laws that expand access to care for low-income families, and we have raised awareness of the importance of community health centers through public education campaigns. We have also trained and supported staff to engage in advocacy, and we have invested in the infrastructure and resources needed to support our advocacy efforts.
We are grateful to NACHC for this recognition of our advocacy efforts. We will continue to work hard to advocate for health equity and access to care for the patients we serve.
Quote from NACHC
“Earning Gold ACE status requires serious dedication and prioritization of advocacy at your health center. Your organization is now part of an elite group that serves as an example to other Community Health Centers striving to achieve advocacy excellence. The amount of effort and time needed to achieve this requires hardworking, engaged staff and supportive leadership—two pieces of the puzzle necessary for a successful and robust advocacy program—both of which you have demonstrated.”
How You Can Help
You can help GVHC continue its advocacy work by:
- Contacting your elected officials and urging them to support policies that improve access to care for low-income families.
- Volunteering your time to GVHC’s advocacy efforts.
- Donating to GVHC to support its advocacy work.
- Signing up to advocate for health centers at the state (CA) level and federal level here.
Thank you for your support!