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Health Outcomes

Voices From the Front Lines: Redesigning Community Healthcare With Trust and Data

Tuesday, March 3, 2026
10:45am - 11:45am CT
Credit(s): 1.0

Federally qualified health centers and community health centers deliver affordable, high-quality care to over 32.5 million individuals across the U.S., many of whom reside in historically underserved communities. While FQHCs and CHCs are vital to advancing health equity, they continue to face mounting challenges—including regulatory burdens, constrained funding, workforce shortages and barriers to patient access. In June 2025, the Black Directors Health Equity Agenda released a landmark needs assessment titled “Examining the Landscape: Understanding Challenges in Community-Based Healthcare.” This report outlines actionable strategies to address systemic challenges and catalyze sustainable, equity-driven healthcare transformation.


This session will feature contributors to the BDHEA report—leaders in care delivery, equity and innovation—who will present scalable models, inclusive governance structures and data-informed frameworks. Through real-world case studies and interactive dialogue, the panel will explore how CHCs and FQHCs are leveraging community trust, AI and policy advocacy to build community-trusted, sustainable health solutions.


Short-Term Outcomes:


  • Equip participants with tools to build equitable partnerships.

  • Share strategies for navigating funding and regulatory pressures while sustaining mission alignment.

  • Highlight case studies that show measurable patient access improvements.

Long-Term Outcomes:


  • Integrate equity-focused governance practices and data-informed decision-making into their organizations.

  • Drive system-wide transformation by operationalizing strategies that embed health equity into leadership, workforce development and care delivery models.

  • Promote sustainable, community-aligned solutions beyond pilot phases.

Sample Use Cases:


  • ED diversion for unhoused patients through targeted interventions

  • Partnerships expanding workforce capacity and specialty access

  • Use of monthly SDOH data to guide local resource allocation

  • Advocacy leading to broader insurance coverage for doula services

Learning Objectives:

  • Discuss current systemic and operational challenges facing FQHCs and CHCs—including funding, workforce, compliance and social determinants of health—and innovative, sustainable solutions based on governance, technology and cross-sector collaboration.
  • Identify the foundational elements of successful, cross-sector partnerships that advance health equity—particularly those involving FQHCs, CHCs and community-based organizations—and how governance structures can support these efforts through inclusive leadership, community representation and alignment with systemic equity goals.