National Health Center Week: Caring for Communities and Expanding Access

July 31, 2026

Every August, National Health Center Week (NHCW) is celebrated as an opportunity to highlight those who make it possible to provide quality, comprehensive health care services to patients.

The theme for NHCW 2026 is Building Innovative Care Where It Matters Most. Health centers like Planned Parenthood serve as a lifeline for individuals and families who might otherwise go without preventive screenings, treatment, and information vital to their own health care decisions. Our providers help reduce disparities, remove barriers, and provide essential, life-saving health care..

Across the country, health care access continues to face political challenges. As decision-makers debate funding for critical health care services, real people are suffering the consequences. During periods of change and uncertainty, community health centers remain a steady and trusted presence, ensuring that people have access to care regardless of income, insurance, or immigration status. As challenges increase, health centers are being called to meet patients where they are and improve health care delivery and access.

Over the last year, Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest has fought to make sure that our health center doors remain open for the people who need us most. Today, our role as direct service providers feels more important than ever. On a daily basis, Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest’s 18 health centers see patients who come to us for a full range of sexual and reproductive health care services, including birth control, STI testing and treatment, cancer screenings, hormone therapy, and more.

Our clinicians, nurses, doctors, medical assistants, and health center staff are at the forefront of this effort. Their work exemplifies compassion, innovation, and a deep commitment to public service.

This National Health Center Week, and every week, we recognize the professionals who dedicate their careers to caring for others and acknowledge the essential role community health centers, like Planned Parenthood, play in building healthier communities for the patients and families who rely on them.

If you are ready to be part of a team who puts patients first, we invite you to explore career opportunities at Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest.Click here to learn more..