Despite significant federal funding increases, community health centers (CHCs)--the backbone of the nation’s safety net--are struggling to meet rising demand for care, particularly for specialty medical, dental, and mental health services, according to a study released Dec. 19 by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC). The study’s findings are detailed in a new HSC issue brief, Community Health Centers Tackle Rising Demands and Expectations.
Since 2000, federal funding for federally qualified community health centers--key providers of preventive and primary care for underserved people--has doubled to nearly $2 billion annually in 2006, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). More than 16 million patients--primarily racial or ethnic minorities, low income, uninsured, or covered by Medicaid--received care at more than 1,100 federally qualified and look-alike health centers in 2006, up from just more than 10 million patients in 2001, according to HRSA.
Much of the recent federal investment has gone to build health centers in additional communities, while support for existing CHCs has not kept pace with operating expense increases and patient growth. At the same time, according to the HSC study, recruiting and retaining staff members in a competitive labor market has grown more difficult, and CHCs are facing other demands, including increased quality reporting expectations, addressing racial and ethnic disparities, and preparing for public health emergencies. Read the issue brief.
