Key Updates from the Health Center COVID-19 Survey (Week #36): The Status of Community Health Centers in the Midst of the Worst Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic

As the nation endures the worst phase of the COVID-19 pandemic to date, data from the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) weekly Health Center COVID-19 Survey indicate that the number of patients tested for the COVID-19 virus this week (335,139) reached the highest level reported over eight months. Similarly, the number of health center patients with confirmed infection (51,637) was at its second-highest recorded level and staff members who tested positive for the virus (2,076) was at its peak recorded level. Additionally, with weekly health center visits consistently lower than before the pandemic and with no additional federal COVID-19 financial relief committed, the pandemic has taken an enormous financial toll on health centers. Cumulative patient revenue losses over eight months are estimated at $4.006 billion, which amounts to nearly 13 percent of total health center revenue reported nationally in 2019.The data note is available here.