The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), announced that an additional 700 HRSA-supported health centers will be invited to join the Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program, reported HHS. These health centers will have the opportunity to join the program over the next six weeks, increasing the total number of invited health center participants to 950.
HRSA-funded health centers are community-based and patient-directed organizations that deliver affordable, accessible, quality, and cost-effective primary health care. Over 91% of health center patients are individuals or families living at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines and nearly 63% are racial/ethnic minorities. Health centers across the nation are playing vital roles in supporting local community responses to the COVID-19 public health emergency.
The additional 700 health centers invited to participate in the next phase of the program include those that serve high proportions of low-income and minority patients, provide services to rural or frontier populations, operate Tribal/Urban Indian Health Programs, and/or utilize mobile vans to deliver services.
The 250 health centers that have already been invited to participate in this program include those that serve a large volume of the following disproportionately affected populations: individuals experiencing homelessness, public housing residents, migrant/seasonal agricultural workers, or patients with limited English proficiency.
The list of the health centers participating in or invited to join the program are at: https://www.hrsa.gov/coronavirus/health-center-program.
