Gen Z is known for caring deeply about healthcare access, community resources, and mental health—but many don’t know that community health centers (CHCs) are already doing the work.
To briefly introduce myself, my name is Jayda Morse, and I’m a Gen Z professional working as the Health Communications Coordinator at the Tennessee Primary Care Association (TPCA). Our mission is to improve access to primary care through leadership, advocacy, and support as the collective voice of Tennessee’s CHCs.
CHCs are one of the most impactful—and too often overlooked—parts of our healthcare system. They serve millions of people across the country, especially in medically underserved communities. Working in the community health space, I’ve seen firsthand how aligned CHCs are with the values our generation holds close. This blog aims to bridge that visibility gap.
My goal is to shine a light on the work CHCs are doing and inspire more Gen Zers to pay attention, get involved, and see themselves in this movement. Whether through careers, advocacy, storytelling, or community support, our generation has the power to shape the future of public health—and CHCs are a powerful place to start.
What Are CHCs?
CHCs are nonprofit, patient-governed organizations committed to delivering high-quality, comprehensive primary health care to America's medically underserved communities, serving all patients regardless of income or insurance status. To put it more simply, there are four key components that define them:
1. CHCs are open to everyone.
2. They offer various services based on their community’s needs, such as medical, dental, vision, and behavioral health.
3. They’re located in areas with the highest need.
4. At least 51% of a CHC’s governing board is made up of their patients.
CHCs Are Already Living Our Values
Access to Healthcare
CHCs were founded on the basis that everyone deserves access to quality healthcare. All CHCs offer sliding fee scale options to low-income patients. They also offer enabling services (non-clinical support) to assist their patients with barriers to care—such as transportation, translation, food security, and accessing other social services.
Studies show the quality of care health centers deliver is as good or better than what patients may experience at a private practice, while staying affordable.
Community Resources
CHCs do more than provide primary medical care. As the National Association for Community Health Centers states on their website:
“Health centers are innovators, healers and problem solvers that reach beyond the walls of the conventional health care delivery system to prevent illness and address the factors that may cause poor health—diet, nutrition, mental illness, or homelessness.”
Part of what makes CHCs unique is that they don’t operate as outsiders. They’re trusted because they’re built from within. Many of their staff and providers live in the same communities as their patients. They understand the local culture, challenges, and strengths.
In a time when many institutions feel distant or transactional, CHCs foster trust by showing up consistently and with care. They host health fairs, school physicals, vaccine drives, food distributions, and outreach events because community is the point. They create space for listening, and for solutions that are tailored to the real lives of real people.
Mental Health
Gen Z is more open about mental health than any generation before us. But even as awareness grows, access is still a major barrier, especially in underserved communities.
CHCs take a whole-person approach to care, meaning they don’t treat mental and physical health as separate issues. Instead, they integrate behavioral health services into the primary care setting—so patients can get support for anxiety, depression, substance use, and more, in the same place they get their physical checkups.
For Gen Z, who deeply values mental health access and destigmatization, CHCs are doing the work we often say we want to see. Most importantly, they meet people where they are, without shame or financial barriers.
Future Vision
So, what’s next?
Right now, CHCs are doing powerful work, but they’re still under the radar for many people our age. The future I’d like to see is one where Gen Z becomes deeply engaged with the community health movement—not just as patients, but as participants and advocates.
We can:
• Tell the story—through social media, storytelling, and data
• Be active advocates—by asking for more funding, policies that support healthy communities, and more visibility for the role CHCs play in public health
• Be active participants—by working in the community health space or volunteering at your local CHC
Interested in learning more? Check out TPCA’s website and stay up to date with our blog.