East County Family Health Center — El Cajon

East County Family Health Center is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) — a federally-funded community health center designated under Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act and supported by HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration) grants. FQHCs are the primary safety-net providers in the US, serving 30+ million patients annually across 1,400+ organizations and 14,000+ delivery sites. Each FQHC provides comprehensive primary care, walk-in urgent care for acute illnesses, behavioral health and substance use treatment, on-site dental services, in-house pharmacy with 340B drug discount pricing, women's health (prenatal care, family planning, mammography), pediatrics including school-based clinics, chronic disease management, vaccinations, on-site lab testing, and care coordination with social services. FQHCs are required by federal law to serve all patients regardless of insurance status, immigration status, or ability to pay — sliding-scale fees based on household income and family size mean uninsured patients pay $20-50 for a basic visit. All US FQHCs accept Medicaid and Medicare, and most offer bilingual services in communities with immigrant populations (Spanish, Haitian Creole, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Arabic, etc., depending on local demographics).