HHS Awards $88.6M To Bolster Community Health Centers’ Data Capabilities, Plus $59.6M To Grow Rural Healthcare Workforce

By Dave Muoio

Nearly US$90 million is going out to almost 1,400 nationwide community health centers to beef up patient data capabilities. The move will support better health equity during ongoing and future public health emergencies, the US Department of Health and Human Services said.

Announced Monday, the investments are part of more than US$7 billion from the American Rescue Plan that the Biden administration set aside to bolster health centers’ workforces and facilities.

“Health centers are central to many of my administration’s priorities,” President Joe Biden said last week when proclaiming Aug. 7 to Aug. 13 as National Health Center Week. “From reducing the cancer death rate by ensuring equitable access to cancer screenings and preventive care, to helping Americans live healthier lives through new digital health technologies, we will ensure that health centers are equipped for the future of healthcare.”

The US$88.6 million in funding is being distributed through HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and will support better data collection and reporting on patients’ health statuses and their social determinants of health, according to HHS’ announcement.

Modernizing those data capabilities will help better tailor health programmes to the needs of specific patients or communities, “particularly as part of the public health emergency response,” the administration said. A state-by-state breakdown of the award recipients can be found on HRSA’s website.

HRSA-funded community health centers provide primary, behavioral or other care to one in five rural residents and one in 11 people across the country, according to the administration. A third of the patients receiving services from the nearly 1,400 centers backed by HRSA are living in poverty, the administration said, and almost two in three are racial or ethnic minorities.

“Community health centers have played a pivotal role in the nation’s COVID-19 response and now serve more than 30 million people across the country,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in the announcement. “Today’s investments will help ensure that all patients have equitable access to the high-quality healthcare they deserve.”

In a separate announcement, the administration said it would be putting nearly US$46 million of American Rescue Plan funding toward 31 awards to expand healthcare job development, training and placement in rural and tribal communities.

Another US$10 million will be awarded to 13 organizations via the Rural Residency Planning and Development Programme to support new medical residency programmes in rural communities, with a final almost US$4 million going to 18 awardees aiming to improve rural health quality and delivery of care, the administration said.

Portions of last year’s multi-billion pledge have been trickling out to community health centers and other entities contributing to public health since the initial announcement last May. Among those awards have been US$103 million in January to tackle healthcare worker burnout and US$226.5 million in April toward a multi-year training programme for new community health workers and health support workers.