Community health centers in the United States have experienced major growth in the number of patients served, according to an analysis published by the Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative based at the Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH).
The data show that community health centers, which care for the nation’s most medically underserved communities, experienced 33 percent patient growth from 2010 to 2016. The surge in patient growth held true for both states that expanded Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and states that did not. This finding speaks to the growing demand for community health centers and their services. The fact that the surge reached all states underscores the importance of the ACA’s health center fund, which Congress recently extended in its Balanced Budget Act, authors of the analysis say.
The research was supported by an ongoing gift to the Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health Policy by the RCHN Community Health Foundation.
The brief, titled “Changes in Health Center Patients Served, 2010-2016” can be read here.