WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - As part of President Joe Biden's commitment to ensure the nation's underserved communities and those disproportionately affected by COVID-19 are equitably vaccinated, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that an additional 700 HRSA-supported health centers will be invited to join the Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program this week. 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.
Health centers are community-based and patient-directed organizations that deliver affordable, accessible, quality, and cost-effective primary health care. These are funded through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
More than 91 percent of health center patients are individuals or families living at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines and nearly 63 percent 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.
250 health centers have already been invited to participate in this program, and 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.
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