I had the good fortune of taking a job at the Martin Luther King. Jr. Neighborhood Health Center in the City of Chicago as its director of training. which sharpened my interest in health care. and ultimately continued to work in that area and had the good fortune to see the emergence and development of this group of innercity. rural migrant health programs throughout the country. got involved and eventually became. after the group had developed. a national association which even to this day still exists. is very vibrant. viable and a valuable part of the American health care delivery system. Every place that we went we found that underserved communities desperately need the health care system to deliver three things: One. the presence of a medical home that offers high quality care regardless of a persons health or social status or his or her ability to pay for services and that is accessible in terms of location of hours of service for those who do not have private transportation or cannot take time off from the workday. Second. adequate numbers of highly trained. culturally competent health professionals to staff these facilities. and. thirdly. the assurance that their medical home will not be driven out of business due to excessive financial risk or inadequate reimbursement simply because they care for those who are the sickest and hardest to reach. I strongly believe that our health system should be built and should build on what works. Among the programs that have worked best for the underserved are the community migrant and homeless health center programs. Over the past 30 years. these centers have established an unparalleled. uniquely successful record of providing quality. costeffective primary and preventive care to the hardesttoreach populations across the Nation. recruiting and retaining health professionals where they are most needed and empowering communities to develop longrange solutions to their health needs. Health reform should invest in such success by preserving and building upon these programs in preparation for the implementation of reform so that universal coverage will truly guarantee access to quality care for everyone.