May 29, 2025, marked a turning point in how we care for our communities.
That was the day the St. Louis County Department of Public Health was officially designated a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike. While that may sound like bureaucratic jargon, I want our community, our most vulnerable, to understand what this means: it’s a win for health equity.
“For too long, Black and brown families across our county have faced systemic barriers to quality, affordable health care.”
For too long, Black and brown families across our county have faced systemic barriers to quality, affordable health care. Barriers built by a legacy of disinvestment, racism, and neglect. Today, we are working to tear those barriers down, and this new status is a critical tool in that fight.
FQHC Look-Alike designation means our health department now meets rigorous federal standards to provide access to comprehensive, patient-centered care. With this designation, our health clinics will receive better reimbursement rates for those with Medicaid and Medicare, access to discounted prescription drugs, and we will be able to expand services and improve our sliding fee scale for the uninsured.
But this designation is about more than programs and payments. It’s about building trust. It’s about meeting people where they are. It’s about bringing high quality care into neighborhoods that have been left out of the health care system for far too long.
As a Black physician and public health leader, I know firsthand how deeply health inequities run. I’ve seen patients denied compassion, denied access, and denied the benefit of the doubt. This FQHC Look-Alike designation is our department’s commitment to do better. To listen, learn, and lead with equity.
With this new status, our department will be able to expand services that matter most: preventive care, chronic disease management, mental health, maternal health, and substance use support. We’re working to ensure that our care isn’t just available, but accessible, affordable, and affirming.
And just as important, we’ll be able to invest in a workforce that reflects the communities we serve. By leveraging federal loan forgiveness programs, we can recruit more doctors, nurses, medical assistants, and counselors. People who understand the lived experiences of our residents because they share them. I know firsthand about this because I was a physician who used this same loan forgiveness program to serve my community.
This isn’t just a health department milestone. It’s a community achievement. It’s a result of years of advocacy, organizing, and pushing to center equity in everything we do. And I thank St. Louis County Executive Sam Page and St. Louis County Public Health Department CEO Derrick Melton for their leadership and work to achieve this designation.
To our residents in Saint Louis County: this moment is for you. This designation is one more step toward justice, one more tool to dismantle the structural racism that shows up in our health outcomes. It’s a new chapter in how we serve, with dignity, compassion, and the unshakable belief that your health matters.
Dr. Kanika Cunningham is Saint Louis County Department of Public Health director