Public vs. Private
This type of facility is owned and operated by government agencies.
What is a public health care facility?
These hospitals provide emergency care, surgery, and inpatient services.
What are general hospitals?
These centers treat non-life-threatening conditions requiring immediate care.
What are urgent care centers?
This type of care allows patients to receive skilled nursing or therapy services in their own homes.
What is home health care?
A Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) most commonly works in this type of long-term care facility.
What is a residential care or skilled/extended care facility?
Private facilities are primarily funded through this method rather than taxes.
What are patient payments (insurance or out-of-pocket)?
Hospitals that focus on specific populations or conditions, such as children or cancer patients.
What are specialty hospitals?
Facilities that operate like emergency departments but are not attached to hospitals.
What are freestanding emergency centers?
Care focused on comfort rather than cure for individuals with terminal illness.
What is hospice care?
A phlebotomist collects blood samples and sends them to this facility, which is not attached to a hospital, for testing.
What is a clinical laboratory (or independent / reference laboratory)?
These facilities typically emphasize accessibility and affordability for the population as a whole.
What are public facilities?
Facilities that provide skilled nursing and rehabilitative care before a patient returns home or other long-term care facilities.
What are skilled or extended care facilities?
Outpatient facilities providing PT, OT, or speech therapy services.
What are rehabilitation clinics?
Care that focuses on symptom management and quality of life for serious illness—at any stage.
What is palliative care?
This center focuses on congenital and inherited conditions for risk assessment, test interpretation, and family education.
What is a genetic counseling center?
Shorter wait times, newer technology, and more personalized services are commonly associated with these facilities.
What are private health care facilities?
These facilities support daily living with limited medical care, such as medication reminders and meals.
What are assisted living facilities?
Smaller facilities linked to larger hospitals that expand access to care.
What are satellite centers?
Facilities that provide inpatient or outpatient services for mental health conditions.
What are mental health centers?
A radiological technician performs CT, MRI, and X-ray scans at this facility, which is not attached to a hospital.
What is an imaging center (or outpatient imaging center)?
This is a key trade-off of public facilities due to limited budgets.
What are long wait times, overcrowding, or limited resources?
Residential care facilities provide this for individuals unable to live independently.
What are ongoing medical and personal care in residential settings?
Facilities that provide ongoing treatment for specific diseases such as kidney failure.
What are specialty clinics (e.g., dialysis centers)?
Health services to support student health and wellness.
What are school health services?
A Surgical Technologist assisting on the most serious life-threatening cases works in this type of health care facility.
What is a (Level 1) Trauma Center?