Community Health Services Strained as Millions Face Loss of Medicaid
Nonprofit health-care providers served more low-income and vulnerable patients during the pandemic. Now they may have to cut staff and scale back services.
International Community Health Services held pop-up clinics at the Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Temple to serve people who faced language or tech barriers in accessing Covid vaccines.
Credit: International Community Health Services
US community health centers for low-income and vulnerable people are bracing for a major hit to their resources that could force many to reduce staffing and scale back services as the federal government’s Covid-19 public health emergency ends in May.
These nonprofit health-care providers served more patients than ever during the pandemic partly because of more coverage under Medicaid — government health insurance for low-income people — after the US declared a public health emergency in 2020.