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- Title
Early Data on Predictors of COVID-19 Treatment Frequency at Community Health Centers.
- Authors
Goldstein, Evan V.; Seiber, Eric E.
- Abstract
Introduction: Federally-funded community health centers (CHCs) serve on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, providing essential COVID-19 testing and care for vulnerable patient populations. Overlooked in the scholarly literature is a description of how different characteristics and vulnerabilities shaped COVID-19 care delivery at CHCs in the first year of the pandemic. Our research objective was to identify organization- and state-level factors associated with more or fewer COVID-19 care and testing visits at CHCs in 2020. Methods: Multilevel random intercept regression models examined associations among organization and state-level predictor variables and the frequency of COVID-19 care and testing visits at CHCs in 2020. The study sample included 1267 CHCs across the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Results: The average CHC provided 932 patient visits for COVID-19-related care in 2020. Yet, the CHC's role in delivering COVID-19 services proved as diverse as the populations and localities CHCs serve. For example, after adjusting for other factors, each percentage-point increase in a CHC's Hispanic patient population size was associated with a 1.3% increase in the frequency of patient visits for COVID-19 care in 2020 (P <.001). Serving a predominantly rural patient population was associated with providing significantly fewer COVID-19-related care visits (P =.002). Operating in a state that enacted a mask-wearing policy in 2020 was associated with a 26.2% lower frequency of COVID-19 testing visits at CHCs in 2020, compared to CHCs operating in states without mask-wearing policies (P =.055). Conclusions: In response to the pandemic, the federal government legislated funding to help CHCs address challenges associated with COVID-19 and provide services to medically-underserved patient populations. Policymakers will likely need to provide additional support to help CHCs address population-specific vulnerabilities affecting COVID-19 care and testing delivery, especially as highly contagious COVID-19 variants proliferate (eg, Delta and Omicron).
- Subjects
UNITED States; COVID-19; SCIENTIFIC observation; MEDICAL care; COMMUNITY health services; REGRESSION analysis; STATE health plans; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; DECISION making; COVID-19 testing; MEDICAL appointments; GOVERNMENT aid; PREDICTION models; CLUSTER analysis (Statistics); DATA analysis software; MANAGEMENT; POLICY sciences; COVID-19 pandemic
- Publication
Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, 2021, p1
- ISSN
2150-1319
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1177/21501319211069473