In a new research report in the JAMA Health Forum, researchers demonstrate the importance of community health center services in America’s most socially disadvantaged communities. By analyzing data about nearly 35 million Medicaid beneficiaries, they found that Medicaid patients who lived in socially vulnerable neighborhoods were less likely to have a primary care visit, primarily because of the limited availability of physicians and other clinicians. But the presence of a CHC counterbalanced this: Medicaid beneficiaries in those disadvantaged neighborhoods were more likely to get care at community health centers. This demonstrates the success of health centers in lifting access to meet the health care needs of those living in the most vulnerable communities. With federal funding for community health centers due to expire on September 30, 2025, and increasing financial pressure, this research demonstrates the critical role of CHCs and the need for expanded funding.
You'll find our review, Community Health Centers: Providing Care in the Most Disadvantaged Communities in the Notes From Washington feature.