History
The Southeast Regional Clinicians’ Network (SERCN), for which the National Center for Primary Care at Morehouse School of Medicine is the sole academic partner,
was formed as a research initiative for community health centers in Region IV of the Bureau of Primary Health Care of HRSA. Region IV clinicians first began organizing
beyond the local community health center level in the mid to late-1980s, with the cultivation of clinician networks by various state primary care associations. In 1995,
the Southeast Regional Clinicians’ Network received funding from AHCPR and HRSA’s Bureau of Primary Health Care to develop a PBRN.
SERCN represents 146 community health center organizations in eight southeastern states, and provides nearly 7.5 million patient visits per year to a low-income,
high-disparity patient population. The majority of patients are medically underserved and living in poverty; 63.2 % are at or below poverty level. Approximately
45% of patients served by health centers in the Southeast Region are uninsured.
