August 9, 2024 CONTACT: Amy Simmons Farber 202 309-0338
Bethesda—A new national survey from the Commonwealth Fund documents the challenges Community Health Centers face as they continue to provide high quality care to a record 32.5 million people. The survey of 737 heath center leaders described persistent workforce shortages, lack of financial resources, and Medicaid redeterminations. Yet, despite these multiple challenges, health centers are doing more than ever – increasing the use of telehealth services, providing more substance use treatment, and screening for social needs.
Highlights include:
. Nearly all Community Health Centers offer timely appointments (88%) and expanded hours for patients to receive care (93%).
. Two out of three (65%) of health centers report that lack of financial resources to address unmet needs was a major challenge.
. Three out four health centers (77%) are experiencing a shortage of mental health providers.
. Health centers report growing workforce challenges with over 70 percent experiencing shortages of primary care physicians (70%), nurses (70%) or enabling services providers (69%).
“Community Health Centers serve as the provider of choice for 1 in 10 people across our nation,” said Kyu Rhee, MD, MPP, President and CEO of NACHC. “They deliver high quality, team-based, comprehensive health services that integrate medical, mental, oral, pharmacy, social, and specialty care within and beyond the exam room walls in rural, frontier, urban, suburban, tribal and island communities in over 16,000 locations. We are grateful that the Commonwealth Fund recognizes the essential role health centers play in protecting public health while balancing tight budgets and recommends thoughtful policy solutions to support their work, such as reauthorizing and expanding the Community Health Center Fund.”
The Commonwealth Fund survey also underscored the findings from the Congressional Budget Office that increases in health center funding would “yield savings by lowering Medicare and Medicaid expenditures through reductions in high-cost utilization like hospitalizations.” It also recommended that Congress expand recruitment, retention, and training programs, such as the National Health Service Corps and the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Program.
To learn more about the mission and accomplishments of health centers, visit www.nachc.org. You can learn more about NHCW and view a listing of events at www.healthcenterweek.org and follow the campaign hashtag #NHCW24 for social media updates.
###
NACHC is the leading innovative change agent collaborating with affiliates and partners to advance Community Health Centers as the foundation of an equitable health care system free from disparities, and built on accessible, patient-governed, high-quality, integrated primary care.