A new data note summarizes and analyzes survey data collected by HRSA, as reported for May 29th, 2020. Among the key findings:
- Health centers reported the closure of 1,782 sites, representing a loss of one in seven sites, or 15 percent of capacity overall.
- Compared to average pre-COVID-19 weekly health center visits, visit volume remains down by 37 percent. This loss translates to about 824,000 fewer weekly visits for primary care and consequently, substantial revenue losses.
- Meanwhile, the total number of patients tested for COVID19 declined, while the percentage of patients with positive tests climbed to 16.4 percent this week, exceeding nearly threefold the national range of 5.6 to 6 percent.
- While additional research is needed, ongoing visit losses, the decline in testing volume, and continued variations in the supply of PPE suggest that additional resources and funding are needed to strengthen health center testing and restore primary care capacity.
The data note was authored by Jessica Sharac, Rebecca Morris, James Hernandez, Maria Velasquez, Peter Shin, Sara Rosenbaum, Feygele Jacobs.