Greater Investment in Community Health Centers Needed to Narrow Disparities in Health and COVID-19 Outcomes

The increasing number of reports on the racial and ethnic disparity in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, particularly for African Americans, highlights the need not only for greater testing but also for greater federal investment to strengthen and expand essential health care provider capacity in medically underserved communities.A data note produced by the Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative takes a closer look at how community health centers are fairing in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic based on HRSA survey data on health center testing and operational capacity. The data note is available here.