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Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and the Health Center Program – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and the Health Center Program.

Changes in Access to Nearest Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics Among Rural ZIP Codes That Did and Did Not Experience a Hospital Closure, 2006-2018
Findings brief exploring changes in geographic accessibility within rural ZIP codes to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) between 2016-18. Compares changes in access to services within rural counties that experienced the loss of its nearest hospital to changes in access within rural counties that never experienced a hospital closure. Features county-level maps showing changes in distance to nearest FQHCs and RHCs for rural ZIP codes and statistics on estimated percentage point changes in access to FQHCs and RHCs from 2016-2018.
Author(s): Nathaniel Bell, Peiyin Hung, Sylvia Shi, Elizabeth Crouch, Jan M. Eberth
Date: 10/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
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Capital Financing Strategies for Rurally-Located Health Centers
Recording of a September 2022 webinar discussing financing sources available to rural health centers for capital expansion projects. Discusses financing opportunities, including the HRSA Loan Guarantee Program and New Markets Tax Credits, among others. Profiles El Dorado Community Health Center, a rural health center in California that completed a capital development project. Free registration is required to access the webinar recording.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Date: 09/2022
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Capital Link
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National Capital Grants Infographic for FQHCs
Provides an overview of Health Center Construction and Capital Improvements grants awarded to Federally Qualified Health Centers in 2021. Outlines the economic impacts of these projects on local communities. Presents data by urban, micropolitan, and rural location. Requires name, email address, and organization information to download.
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Capital Link
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Current State of the Health Center Workforce: Pandemic Challenges and Policy Solutions to Strengthen the Workforce of the Future
Presents results of a February 2022 survey regarding health center employee turnover in the prior 6 months. Compares survey results from urban and rural health centers, as well as the smallest and largest health centers. Identifies the workforce categories with the highest rates of employee turnover and the most common reasons for staff departures. Discusses policies that can be used to recruit and retain health center staff.
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Community Health Centers
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Federally Qualified Health Center Strategies for Coping with Hospital Closure: Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas (CHC/SEK)
Describes how the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas (CHC/SEK), a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) took over two Mercy Hospital Fort Scott primary care clinics when the hospital closed in 2018. Explores CHC/SEK's response to the hospital's closure, the subsequent economic impact on the community, and lessons learned for rural FQHCs in similar situations.
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Capital Link
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National Health Service Corps Site Reference Guide
Provides clarification for National Health Service Corps (NHSC) sites regarding eligibility requirements, qualification factors, compliance, roles and responsibilities, and other factors for becoming an NHSC approved site. Acts as a supplemental resource to the information provided in the online NHSC Site Application.
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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Experiences of Health Centers in Implementing Telehealth Visits for Underserved Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from the Connected Care Accelerator Initiative
Offers an analysis of telehealth implementation in safety net settings with a focus on Federally Qualified Health Centers based on health center-provided telehealth visit data from February 2019-August 2021, as well as interviews with leadership and staff. Covers trends in telehealth use in health centers that participate in the California Health Care Foundation's Connected Care Accelerator initiative, the perceptions of health center leaders and staff, and implications for future policy, practice, and investigation.
Author(s): Lori Uscher-Pines, Natasha Arora, Maggie Jones, et al.
Date: 2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Ending Surprise Medical Bills
Offers resources for healthcare providers and consumers regarding surprise billing regulations and policies. Includes information on payment dispute resolution between patients and providers, and between providers and out-of-network health plans.
Date: 2022
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Access to Outpatient Services in Rural Communities Changes after Hospital Closure
Examines trends of Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and Rural Health Quality (RHC) availability in rural areas before and after hospital closures. Explores the associations between poverty rates and access to FQHCs and RHCs following hospital closure.
Author(s): Katherine E. M. Miller, Kyle L. Miller, Kathleen Knocke, et al.
Citation: Health Services Research, 56(5), 788-801
Date: 10/2021
Type: Document
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The Effect of National Health Service Corps Clinician Staffing on Medical and Behavioral Health Care Costs in Community Health Centers
Examines the contribution of National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and non-NHSC clinicians to medical and behavioral health costs per visit, using 2013-2017 data from 1,022 Federally Qualified Health Centers merged with the NHSC participant data. Features statistics on average costs per visit for medical or behavioral healthcare, with breakdowns including rural facility location.
Author(s): Xinxin Han, Patricia Pittman, Leighton Ku
Citation: Medical Care, 59(10), S428-S433
Date: 10/2021
Type: Document
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Last Updated: 4/23/2024