Building Bridges to Wellness
At Chiricahua Community Health Center, we're excited to use this publication and venue to share important health and wellness information with our community. Our goal is to provide valuable resources that help you make informed choices about your health. We want to connect you with essential services, support networks, and educational programs to foster a healthier and more informed community. Together, let’s work towards building a stronger and healthier place for everyone and educating the community. By providing valuable resources and information, we aim to empower individuals to make informed decisions regarding their health. This initiative will connect the community to essential services, support networks, and educational programs, fostering a healthier, more informed population. Together, we can build a stronger, healthier community for everyone.
Health Insurance Open Enrollment Is Coming
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Navigating health insurance can be complex, but you don't have to do it alone. With Marketplace Open Enrollment beginning November 1, 2026, Chiricahua Community Health Centers offers free, personalized assistance to help Cochise County residents find the right coverage.
Coverage Options
AHCCCS (Arizona Medicaid)
Provides health coverage for qualifying low-income individuals, families, children, pregnant women, seniors, and people with disabilities. Applications are accepted year-round.
Health Insurance Marketplace
Explore private plan options with potential financial assistance based on household income.
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November 1, 2026: Open Enrollment begins.
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December 15, 2026: Deadline to enroll for coverage beginning January 1, 2027.
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January 15, 2027: Open Enrollment ends. Eligible enrollments after December 15 generally begin February 1.
KidsCare (CHIP)
Offers coverage to eligible children under 19 whose family income exceeds AHCCCS limits. Applications are open year-round.
Sliding Fee Discount Program
For uninsured patients or those who do not qualify for insurance, Chiricahua offers discounted services based on income and family size.
Get Free Assistance
Our Enrollment Specialists can assist you with Marketplace, AHCCCS, KidsCare, SNAP/TANF applications, or our Sliding Fee program.
Call 520-364-1429, option 6, or visit your nearest Chiricahua health center to speak with an Enrollment Specialist.
A Visit To The Dentist Just Changed For Good
Living in Cochise County presents unique challenges to accessing dental care. However, we’re excited to share that improvements are underway to enhance these services, making it easier and more convenient for residents to receive the quality dental care they deserve, close to home!
Chiricahua Community Health Centers has always worked to change that. Their goal is simple: to provide high-quality, patient-focused care to everyone in our community, right where we live.
Thanks to generous donations from the Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation and Ronald McDonald House Charities, Chiricahua is bringing big-city technology to Cochise County. They are using state-of-the-art intraoral scanners at their dental clinics. Feedback from staff, patients, and parents is very positive: no messy impressions, no tears, and pain-free precision.
If you’ve needed a crown, bridge, or night guard before, you remember the old method. It involved a cold tray filled with thick putty, biting down and trying not to gag, and waiting while it set, a very uncomfortable experience, especially for children and those with dental anxiety.
That uncomfortable experience is now over.
Instead of using putty, Chiricahua’s team now uses a small, wand-like device that moves comfortably over your teeth and gums. In seconds, it takes detailed 3D images of your entire smile. No mess, no bulky trays, and no gagging.
Dr. Brianna Hillier, the Director of Dental Services at Chiricahua, says this technology improves patient-centered care. "Intraoral scanning supports our mission to provide high-quality, patient-oriented care by speeding up processes, reducing treatment delays, and increasing patient comfort. Patients can also view their scans right away, which helps explain necessary treatments. We say goodbye to uncomfortable impressions and welcome faster, more accurate scanning!"
This real-time display is a game-changer. You can see the scan on a screen next to your chair. Your provider can walk you through your teeth, point out areas that need attention, and explain why certain treatments are recommended. This approach makes dental visits clearer and more comfortable.
Chiricahua emphasizes that living in a rural area shouldn’t limit access to advanced technology. This new tool is something you’d expect to find in top dental offices in Phoenix or Tucson, and now it’s available at your local Chiricahua clinic.
These improvements are already happening. Just weeks after training, the dental team tested the scanner on their first patient. That Tuesday, the patient got a scan for a crown. No putty was needed, and no second appointment was required for impressions. The digital file went directly to the lab.
By Friday, just three days later, the custom crown was ready and placed that same day. This means what used to take a month of waiting, shipping, and temporary crowns is now done in just three days. This is what efficiency and comfort look like when technology meets patient needs.
Chiricahua thanks the Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation and Ronald McDonald House Charities for their support in improving the health and smiles of Cochise County.
If it’s been a while since your last dental visit or if your child is anxious about messy impressions, now is the perfect time to go back.
Explore the future of dental care in your community.
To schedule your next checkup and see the new scanner in action, contact your nearest Chiricahua Community Health Centers dental clinic today.
For 30 years, Chiricahua Community Health Centers (Chiricahua) has been a trusted partner in the health and well-being of Cochise County residents. Founded in 1996, Chiricahua has grown from a small rural clinic into the largest provider of primary care in the county, serving individuals and families across urban, rural, and frontier communities. Today, as the only Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Cochise County, Chiricahua continues to play a unique and essential role in ensuring that high-quality healthcare is accessible to everyone.
At the heart of Chiricahua’s work is a simple but powerful vision: Health for All. This vision reflects a commitment to providing comprehensive healthcare services regardless of a person’s income, insurance status, age, or background. It is a promise that quality healthcare should be available to every member of the community and that geographic location should never determine health outcomes.
As a Federally Qualified Health Center, Chiricahua is designed to do more than treat illness. FQHCs are community-based healthcare organizations that emphasize prevention, early intervention, and long-term wellness. In many ways, Chiricahua serves as a prevention specialist for both children and adults. Through regular checkups, immunizations, screenings, chronic disease management, nutrition services, behavioral health support, and patient education, the organization helps individuals stay healthy before serious health problems develop.
For children, prevention begins early. Pediatric services focus on healthy growth and development, routine wellness visits, vaccinations, and early identification of health concerns. By ensuring children receive preventive care from infancy through adolescence, Chiricahua helps build a foundation for healthier lives and stronger futures. For adults, preventive services such as cancer screenings, diabetes management, blood pressure monitoring, behavioral health care, and wellness counseling help reduce the burden of chronic disease and improve quality of life.
This preventive approach aligns directly with Chiricahua’s mission: “Caring for Patients, Building Healthy Communities.” The mission recognizes that health extends beyond the walls of a clinic. Healthy communities require access to healthcare, education, transportation, nutritious food, behavioral health support, and trusted relationships. That is why Chiricahua invests in outreach programs, community partnerships, mobile health services, and patient support programs that address barriers to care and strengthen the region's overall well-being.
Over the past three decades, Chiricahua has continually adapted to meet the evolving needs of Cochise County. From fixed-site clinics and pharmacies to mobile medical and dental programs serving rural communities, our organization has remained focused on reaching individuals where they live, work, and learn. This commitment has enabled Chiricahua to expand access to healthcare while maintaining its community-centered values.
Today, Chiricahua stands as both a healthcare provider and a community partner. As the county’s only FQHC and largest primary care provider, our organization remains dedicated to improving health outcomes, reducing barriers to care, and promoting wellness across every stage of life. Most importantly, Chiricahua continues to honor the vision that has guided its work for three decades: Health for All. Through prevention, compassion, and community engagement, Chiricahua is not only caring for patients today but also helping build a healthier Cochise County for generations to come
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