Community Health Centers Respond to COVID-19
BETHESDA, Md., March 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Community Health Centers are the most immediate connection from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other federal entities and Main Street. Health centers are part of the nationwide response strategy to the novel coronavirus, also known at COVID-19. Serving 29 million Americans across the country, Community Health Centers are preparing for the worst.
The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) is in regular communications with the (CDC) Coronavirus Response Task Force. NACHC is also providing communication to health centers, keeping them up to date on CDC recommendations, seeking to educate providers and the broader community.
Health centers are uniquely positioned to respond to public health challenges such as COVID-19. They have existing relationships on the ground needed for communicating important health information to the community at large and regularly collaborate with local public health authorities, hospitals, and relief organizations. They continue to be among America's first responders in communities throughout the country on other major public health threats – H1N1, SARS, Ebola, and natural disasters.
With hospital closures happening in greater numbers, they are essential to the nation's response strategy.
"Our focus is to regularly communicate with the health center field and keep them up to date on CDC recommendations," said Ronald Yee, MD, Chief Medical Officer of NACHC. "It is important that we educate and not alarm and above all else ensure that health centers have the tools they need to implement clinical protocols in response to COVID-19 if necessary, working in partnership with local public health departments, organizations, and community stakeholders."
NACHC is hosting a webinar, "Prepare Not Panic: COVID-19 CDC Update and the Health Center Response," in collaboration with the CDC Coronavirus Response Task Force. The webinar, scheduled for Friday, March 6, 2020 1:00 pm EST, will provide information on how health centers can continue to prepare an organized response, including:
- sharing clinical protocols nationwide
- building systems in partnership with federal, state authorities, local public health departments, and community stakeholders to boost the health center response strategy.
Health centers also face the additional challenge of operating under a temporary funding measure. The lack of stable funding makes it challenging to recruit/hire providers, plan services, or expand capacity at a time when a sustained and robust public health response demands stable and long-term funding.
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) recently called on Congressional leaders to make long-term funding for health centers a top priority.
Established in 1971, the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) serves as the national voice for America's Health Centers and as an advocate for health care access for the medically underserved and uninsured.
SOURCE National Association of Community Health Centers
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