About ACU

Mission

ACU is a nonprofit, transdisciplinary organization of clinicians, advocates and health care organizations united in a common mission to improve the health of America's underserved populations and to enhance the development and support of the health care clinicians serving these populations.

History

ACU was established in 1996 by participants and alumni of the National Health Service Corps. Today ACU has a constituency of more than 8,000 clinicians and 900 organizations. Our membership includes individuals representing 18 professional disciplines as well as community clinics, health care organizations and professional societies.

The Health Care Team

ACU encompasses a broad range of health professionals serving diverse patient populations in widely varying practice settings and geographic areas. ACU's definition of comprehensive health care includes medical, oral, behavioral and pharmaceutical services.

ACU believes in transdisciplinary care -- a holistic approach to patient assessment and treatment through a highly collaborative team of health care professionals and community organizations. We invite you to learn more about transdisciplinary care.

Priorities

ACU focuses on issues such as: health care reform, health care access, elimination of health disparities, a transdisciplinary approach to health care, workforce development and diversity, cultural competency in the health care setting, health care quality improvement, access to medicines and pharmacy services, and integration of behavioral health into primary care practice.

In pursuing its mission, ACU is committed to six objectives:
1. Enhancing support for health care teams to deliver comprehensive primary care and preventative services
    (i.e. medical, oral, behavioral, pharmacy, complementary/alternative)
2. Providing access to information relevant to clinical practice
3. Providing opportunities for clinicians to interact with other professionals
4. Promoting research to increase understanding of underserved practice
5. Increasing opportunities for training relevant to providing health care to underserved populations.
6. Enhancing health care team’s use of the tool of health information technology and clinical informatics to improve health outcomes.

Equal Opportunity

ACU is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, or disability in its programs or activities.