As more than half of all states reported an increase in their seven-day COVID-19 case averages, the latest Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) weekly COVID-19 survey summary continues to show that the rate of positive health center COVID-19 tests (14.8 percent) is more than twice as high as the national rate. The data also show that high numbers of health center sites remain closed (1,762), resulting in reduced access to health center services even as states reopen and patients resume seeking care.
Key Updates from the Health Center COVID-19 Survey (Week #9): The Percentage of Health Center Patients Who Tested Positive for COVID-19—At Least Half of Whom Were Racial/Ethnic Minorities—Is Nearly Three Times the National Percentage
As states reopen and plan for an increase in pent-up demand for health care services, the latest Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) weekly COVID-19 survey summary continues to show a significant loss of community health center access points. Based on an approximate number of 12,000 health center sites, the 1,782 sites reported closed in week nine of the survey represent a loss of one in seven sites or 15 percent of capacity overall.
State Provider Immunity Laws in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
By Alexander Somodevilla and Sara Rosenbaum
1. Introduction
Health Management & Workforce
Public & Population Health
An Unexpected Education: Teaching Health Center Training in a Global Pandemic
In a few short weeks, newly trained primary care physicians and dentists will complete their residencies at the nation’s 56 Teaching Health Centers (THCs) and join a desperately needed cadre of health professionals serving rural and underserved communities. Their experiences will be unlike residents who preceded them.