NACHC 2025 Advocacy Brief Presents a National Vision-Capacity Estimate, not Observed FQHC Outcomes
NACHC's 2025 Vision Services Expansion Brief reported that 26% of US Community Health Centers offered vision services in 2023 and 3% of CHC patients received eye care annually. NACHC presented an advocacy estimate in which a one-time $630M investment could support 1,070 optometrists and service capacity for 10.7 million people.
Those figures are a national proposal, not observed hiring, access, demand, or financial outcomes at any FQHC. Local teams must separately verify workforce, scope, grant terms, encounter eligibility, site-and-payer rates, capital, operations, and patient need.
Key points
- The cited 2023 capacity figures are dated national estimates, not a local census or demand measure
- The funding, workforce, and people-served figures are advocacy estimates—not observed hiring, access, or financial results
- Vision is described as non-mandatory in the cited context; confirm current scope, award terms, and allowable costs with accountable HRSA and grants owners
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FQHC Talent. (2025, October 15). NACHC 2025 Advocacy Brief Presents a National Vision-Capacity Estimate, not Observed FQHC Outcomes. Source: NACHC. Retrieved October 6, 2026, from https://www.fqhctalent.com/intel/nachc-vision-services-expansion-brief-october-2025
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