Darin M. Camarena Health Centers, Inc. (DMCHC) primary service area is located in Madera County which is at the exact center of the San Joaquin Central Valley. It comprises two rural Medical Service Study Areas (MSSA’s), MSSA 80 (Madera, Madera Southwest) and MSSA 79.2 (Chowchilla). Both MSSA’s are federally designated as a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) and as a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) for Primary Care and Dental Care. The entire county is federally designated as a HPSA for Mental Health Care.

The organization targets the indigent, uninsured, underserved, special needs population, migrant and seasonal farmworkers (MSFW’s) and all other persons of limited access (individuals at or below 200% the Federal Poverty Level (FPL)). MSSA 80 & MSSA 79.2 encompasses 15 of the county’s 19 census tracts which represents 77.81% of the Madera County population. 2005 Claritas Corporation data indicates a non-institutionalized service area civilian population of 100,131. Residents face multiple environmental stressors that contribute to the target population's inability to access healthcare, which can affect health outcomes and influence poverty status. Fifty two percent (51.91%) of service area residents live at or below 200% of the FPL; compared to the county rate of 46.63%. Sixty three percent (63.43%) of residents are of Hispanic descent.

In 2006, DMCHC served 24,702 patients providing 90,558 medical and dental visits, achieving a 10% increase in users over 2005. Bilingual staff included 16.12 primary care providers, 4.25 dentists, and 165 employees. Ninety six percent (96%) of patients lived at or below 200% of the FPL; 39% were Medi-Cal covered; 44% were uninsured; 84% were Hispanic; 54% were best served in another language other than English; 47% were MSFWs. In 2006, 7.16% of DMCHC’s registered patients presented with diabetes; 4.63% with asthma; and 4.23% with hypertension.

*2007 data reflects changes in Medi-Cal eligibility requirement and reporting criteria.