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COVID-19 Federal Funding To Health Centers: Tracking Distribution, Locations, And Patient Characteristics.

Cole MB, Wright B, Kett PM, Johnson H, Staloff J, Frogner BK. COVID-19 Federal Funding To Health Centers: Tracking Distribution, Locations, And Patient Characteristics. Health affairs (Project Hope). 2024 Aug 1; 43(8):1190-1197.

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Abstract:

In 2020 and 2021, health centers received federal funding to support their COVID-19 pandemic response, yet little is known about how the funds were distributed. This study identified ten sources of funding distributed to 1,352 centers, ranging from $19 to $1.22 billion per center. When we examined patient and organizational characteristics by quartiles of funding per patient, health centers in the highest-funded quartile (quartile 4) were more likely rural and in the South; employed lower percentages of physicians; and had the highest percentages of sicker, uninsured, and unhoused patients. Centers in the lowest-funded quartile (quartile 1) were more likely urban, employed lower percentages of nurse practitioners, and had the highest percentages of Medicaid enrollees. With the end of pandemic-related funding in 2023, combined with Medicaid unwinding concerns, targeted investment is needed to mitigate a financial cliff and help maintain health centers'' capacity to provide high-quality services to those most in need.




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