1、CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i Federal Health Centers and COVID-19 Elayne J. Heisler Specialist in Health Services April 30, 2020 Federal health centers are outpatient health facilities that are required to be located in Health Professional Shortage Are
2、as (HPSAs) and are required to provide care to all residents of their service area regardless of their ability to pay. The health center program is administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), within the Department of Health and Human Services, and is authorized in Sectio
3、n 330 of the Public Health Service Act. The program helps to support more than 1,400 community-based health centers operating over 12,000 delivery sites across the country. Health centers provide care to medically underserved populations; they provide care for more than 28 million people annually, o
4、r an average of one in 12 Americans. Given the reach of health centers, they have received supplemental funding during prior disasters (e.g., hurricanes and disease outbreaks) to provide additional services. This Insight discusses their role as a health provider to respond to the Coronavirus Disease
