Federally qualified health centers under pressure

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One in 11 Americans rely on community health centers to get routine medical care, as well as social services and, in some cases, fresh food. Plaza del Sol is one of two dozen sites run by Urban Health Plan Inc., one of nearly 1,400 federally designated community health centers, which serve as a critical safety net for low-income people of all ages. Nine in 10 health center patients live at or below 200% of the federal poverty line, according to the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. It’s a safety net under stress. “Without us here, there’d be a huge gap and chasm in terms of poor people being able to receive care. And that has ripple effects across the country,” said Dr. Matthew Kusher at Plaza del Sol. Since 2012, community health centers – also called federally qualified health centers – have seen the number of people coming to get care rise by 45%. The health centers have opened more and more service sites, expanding their footprint to more than 15,000 locations in every state and U.S. territory. The centers are there serving people who may have few other options: newly arrived migrants, rural residents, people who lost their job and, with it, their health insurance. “We’re not checking the insurance status or refugee status,” said Dr. Acklema Mohammad at Urban Health Plan’s El Nuevo San Juan location. “My motto is a patient is a patient is a patient. We’re here. Open for everyone. Everyone in the community.” Many centers are short-staffed and struggling to compete for doctors, mental health professionals, nurses and dentists. They’re at the forefront of helping people obtain insurance as millions are booted off. Medicaid leaders also say funding is an ever-present concern, especially with the months-long debate over the federal budget making it all but impossible for the centers to plan and hire for the long term. “We always worry about the budget,” Dr. Kusher said. Despite that, the centers are trying to improve their communities’ health and access to primary care in the face of inequities that start well before a patient steps into an exam room. This article was provided by The Associated Press.