Pinnacle Awards
2013 Group Practice–Health System–Corporation Award
Community Health Association of Spokane (CHAS)
Community Health Association of Spokane (CHAS) is a non-profit community health center that provides access to all patients, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. It is a “patient-run” organization with patients occupying a majority of the positions on its Board of Directors. Operating since 1995, CHAS currently has nine clinic locations within the Inland Northwest (eastern Washington and northern Idaho), and serves as a health care home to nearly 50,000 patients. The mission of CHAS is to improve the overall health of the communities it serves by expanding access to quality primary health services, dental care and wellness services. There are currently 25 pharmacist providers incorporated into
the care team who contribute to the continuity of care for the patients within the system. This integration has resulted in safer and more effective medication use for the patients they serve. The CHAS leadership – including the CEO, former and current medical director, and director of pharmacy – has been at the forefront of advocating aggressively for recognition of pharmacists as providers of direct patient care, and particularly post‐diagnosis primary care for chronic conditions.