When the world feels like a different place, and there are scary headlines in the news, Mister Rogers urged us to “look for the helpers.” You don’t need to search very hard to find them at Community Health Centers. They are the providers at the drive-thru testing sites in parking lots; the Community Health Workers …
Telehealth, COVID-19 & Health Centers
CMS Announces Guidance for FQHCS on CARES Distant Site Provision (Updated April 17, 2020) Today the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid announced its guidance allowing Community Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics (RACs) to receive enhanced Medicare reimbursement for telehealth services, per the provision in the CARES Act. Retroactive to January 27, 2020 and continuing …
“Resilience Comes with Purpose”A Health Center Doctor Recovers from COVID-19
As a Family Physician, I knew that at some point I would become infected with COVID-19. For me, it was never a question of if I’d get sick, rather how soon and how sick I would get. Of course, there was also the added fear of bringing this home and infecting my husband; I’d worry …
Taking Care of Each Other in This Time of Crisis
This guest blog post is by Kimberly Becher, M.D. Dr. Becher practices at Community Care of West Virginia, Inc., a rural federally qualified health center in Clay County, W.Va. , This article was originally posted in the AAFP’s Fresh Perspectives blog”. You know that feeling When a huge storm is coming? If you live on …
COVID-19’s Financial Punch to Community Health Centers
COVID-19 has launched a devastating blow to the financial health of Community Health Centers, impacting visits, revenue, and employment. Working on the front lines of this pandemic, many health centers have already seen a surge of patients who need COVID-19 screening and treatment. They have pivoted to meet the pandemic in a matter of weeks, converting …
Ohio Health Center Doctor Sick With COVID-19 Soldiers On
“You still just go on,” she said, “because patients need you,” Dr. Mary Krebs tells Wall Street Journal reporter Jennifer Levitz in an article published today. Dr. Krebs is a family physician at HealthSource of Ohio, one of Ohio’s 56 Community Health Center organizations. Ohio’s Health Centers span about 400 sites and are part of a …
In These Extraordinary Times
In these extraordinary times, we are all on the frontlines of COVID-19, struggling to be our best selves while scared and worried about the future. That’s what makes the stories of innovation and courage among Community Health Centers so remarkable. They choose the mission. They choose to step into the arena of a global pandemic …
We Are The Shock Absorbers in the COVID-19 Pandemic
Our world is a different place now. The COVID-19 pandemic is shutting down normal life as we knew it and Community Health Centers turn their attention to the business of saving lives. We know that everyday heroics won’t be enough. Even so, we acknowledge their courage on the front lines, the difficult choices they are …
Telehealth Information for Health Centers on the Frontlines of COVID-19
NACHC staffer Michaela Keller contributed to this NACHC Blog post. President Trump signed H.R. 6074, the “Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2020,” into law earlier this month, providing emergency supplemental funding in response to the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. In addition to $100 million in funding for Community Health Centers, the …
The Health Center Response to COVID-19
Community Health Centers are on the front lines of the coronavirus (COVID-19) response and are rapidly preparing for the worst-case scenario. Already NACHC held a beyond capacity webinar for more than 1000 attendees which is available online here and reveals how health centers in the earliest hit areas responded. Health centers report they are tracking …