HHS awards more than $21 million to support health centers’ COVID-19 response
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), awarded more than $21 million to support health centers' COVID-19 response efforts.
The majority of this investment—$17 million—supports 78 Health Center Program look-alikes (LALs) with funding to expand capacity for COVID-19 testing. Due to the urgent need across the country to respond to the COVID-19 crisis, funding to expand capacity for COVID-19 testing is being made available to LALs through the Health Center Program. These LALs operate and provide services consistent with HRSA Health Center Program requirements; however, unlike HRSA-funded health centers, LAL operations are funded through mechanisms outside of the HRSA Health Center Program.
"These funds build on the more than $2 billion we've awarded to HRSA-funded health centers to combat COVID-19 and will help even more Americans have access to COVID-19 testing in their communities," said HHS Secretary Alex Azar.
Currently, nearly 88 percent of LALs report conducting COVID-19 testing in their communities, and 56 percent offer walk-up or drive-up testing. With this funding, LALs will expand the range of testing and testing-related activities to best address the needs of their communities, including the purchase of personal protective equipment; training for staff; outreach, procurement and administration of tests; laboratory services; notifying identified contacts of infected health center patients of their exposure to COVID-19; and the expansion of walk-up or drive-up testing capabilities.
"Overall, HRSA-funded health centers and look-alikes are currently providing more than 190,000 weekly COVID-19 tests in their local communities," said HRSA Administrator Tom Engels.
HRSA also awarded over $4.5 million to support the COVID-19 response of Health Center Controlled Networks (HCCNs). HCCNs support health centers to improve quality of care and patient safety by using health information technology to reduce costs and improve care coordination. The funding will strengthen health IT support necessary for participating health centers to effectively prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19.
