Community health centers serve 1 in 11 Americans

They're a safety net that's under stress

NEW YORK >> Elisa Reyes has come to Plaza del Sol Family Health Center for doctor's appointments for more than a decade. She moved away a while ago but keeps returning — even if it means a twohour roundtrip bus ride.

That's because her two children see the same doctor she does. Because when she's sick, she can walk in without an appointment. Because the staff at the Queens clinic helped her apply for health insurance and food stamps.

“I feel at home. They also speak my language,” Reyes, 33, said in Spanish. “I feel comfortable.”

Plaza del Sol is one of two dozen sites run by Urban Health Plan Inc., which is one of nearly 1,400 federally designated community health centers. One in 11 Americans rely on these to get routine medical care, social services and, in some cases, fresh food.

The clinics serve as a critical safety net in every state and U.S. territory for low-income people of all ages. But it's a safety net under stress.

Since 2012, community health centers have seen a 45% increase in the number of people seeking care — and they've opened more and more service sites to expand their footprint to more than 15,000 locations.

Many centers are shortstaffed and struggling to compete for doctors, mental health professionals, nurses and dentists. Leaders also told The Associated Press that funding is an everpresent concern, with the months-long debate over the federal budget making it all but impossible for them to plan and hire for the long term.

Community health centers have been around in some form for decades, and are largely what remains when urban and rural hospitals close or cut back on services.

Dr. Matthew Kusher, Plaza del Sol's clinical director, said there are things that prescriptions can't change, like stopping the spread of flu and COVID-19 when people live in apartments with one family per room and it's impossible to quarantine.