About PHC

Primary Health Care (PHC) was founded in 1981 by Dr. Bery Engebretsen in Des Moines, IA.  Our mission has remained unchanged since that time, to provide healthcare and supportive services to all, regardless of insurance, immigration status, or ability to pay.  Learn more about federally qualified health centers here.

Based on the needs of the communities we serve, PHC offers a spectrum of medical and dental services including family practice, behavioral health, HIV care and services, and pharmacy. PHC’s Homeless Support Services is the entry point for serving people experiencing homelessness in Polk County. Enabling services are available to help patients with benefits enrollment, case management, transportation, translation, and patient education.

PHC employs 75 physicians, dentists, pharmacists, advanced practice clinicians, dental hygienists, and licensed social workers. PHC has 420 employees. In 2023, PHC clinics and programs served 39,393 patients over 131,837 encounters.

Executive Leadership

Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at PHC

Primary Health Care, Inc. seeks to create a supportive and engaging medical home for our patients and an optimal workplace with capable, compassionate, and committed employees. In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement in May of 2020, PHC faced the hard truth that it needed to be more intentional about standards and expectations related to creating an environment that practices cultural humility, is anti-racist and does not tolerate bigotry in any form.

The Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (JEDI-B) committee was established in September of 2020 and is made up of employees across the organization. The committee’s goal is to ensure no one is left behind in creating a supportive and engaging work environment. It will implement staff training, review current policies, actively work on anti-racist policies, and celebrate the diversity of our staff as well as the communities we serve.

Along with additional strategies developed by the Iowa Primary Care Association, this is the framework PHC is building upon to make sustainable change.

Supporting a culture where all patients and staff, regardless of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, sex, ethnicity, or creed, feel welcome is crucial to the success of our mission – ensuring equitable access to healthcare and supportive services for all, to improve quality of life.