Funding the Fight Against COVID-19 in Underserved Communities

Providing COVID-19 Vaccines, Testing, Masks, and Treatment

With American Rescue Plan funding, HRSA has supported COVID-19 vaccination, testing, treatment, and masks for underserved populations and rural communities across the country.

• HRSA-supported community health centers have administered nearly 20 million COVID-19 vaccines in underserved communities across the country.
• HRSA is supporting the distribution of 50 million free, at-home self-tests through community health centers and rural health clinics to patients and community members.
• HRSA-supported community health centers and rural health clinics are distributing N95 masks to individuals and families in some of the hardest hit communities in America.
• HRSA-supported community health centers have been a trusted community resource for delivering therapeutics, including monoclonal antibodies, and are launching Test-to-Treat initiatives to deliver oral anti-virals in hard hit and underserved communities.
• HRSA is providing reimbursement for COVID-19 vaccine administration, testing, and treatment for the uninsured.
• HRSA is providing $8.5 billion in payments to providers and suppliers who serve rural Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program, and Medicare beneficiaries to help them keep their doors open, address workforce challenges, and make up for the lost revenues and increased expenses caused by the pandemic.
• HRSA is funding nearly 160 organizations conducting vaccine education and outreach to support trusted messengers building vaccine confidence in underserved communities in all 50 states.

Supporting Community Health Centers

American Rescue Plan funding has helped keep the doors of health centers open and helped health centers lead the fight against COVID in some of the hardest hit communities across the country.

American Rescue Plan investments include:

• $6 billion to nearly 1,400 HRSA-funded centers across the country to prevent, mitigate, and respond to COVID-19 and enhance health care services and infrastructure during the pandemic and beyond.
• Nearly $1 billion in major construction and renovation projects in health centers nationwide to help serve more patients and increase health care access.
• $32 million to training and technical assistance partners for health center staff training and support regarding equitable access to COVID-19 vaccination, testing, and treatment.
• $20 million to Native Hawaiian health systems to support life-saving resources and care for Native Hawaiian communities experiencing barriers to accessing health care services, including geographic isolation.

Strengthening Rural Response Efforts

American Rescue Plan funding allowed HRSA to provide direct resources to rural clinics and hospitals to help rural communities respond to COVID.

American Rescue Plan rural investments include:

• Nearly $460 million to over 4,500 Medicare-certified Rural Health Clinics in all 45 states where RHCs are present for COVID-19 testing and mitigation to expand access to testing for rural residents.
• $398 million to 1,540 hospitals to help small rural hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals maintain and increase testing and expand mitigation activities tailored to local community needs.
• $97 million to nearly 2,000 Medicare-certified Rural Health Clinics in 44 of the 45 states where RHCs are present to increase COVID-19 vaccine confidence in rural communities.

Growing the Health Care Workforce

HRSA has leveraged American Rescue Plan funding to make record numbers of scholarships and loan repayment awards to clinicians and invest in the next generation of health professionals.

American Rescue Plan rural investments include:

• Support to 45 health care organizations to reduce health care provider burnout and support health care workers’ mental health and wellness.
• The largest cohort in the 50 year history of HRSA scholarships and loan repayment assistance for clinicians – 22,700 clinicians providing primary care, dental, behavioral health and opioid treatment services to more than 23.6 million patients.
• $19.2 million to grow the next generation of primary care physicians and dentists by funding primary care residency training programs in community-based health centers in rural and underserved communities.
• $22 million to grow the mental health and substance use disorder workforce and provide placements at health centers and other community-based settings, where behavioral health services are most urgently needed.

Supporting Families and Children

With American Rescue Plan funding, HRSA is expanding support for families and children essential needs, from diapers to mental health services.

• $121 million to expand voluntary home visiting to support pregnancy education, parenting skill-building, and supplies for pregnant women and families living in communities at-risk for poor maternal and child health outcomes.
• $11 million to expanded pediatric mental health care access through state and regional networks of pediatric mental health care teams to diagnose, treat, and refer children and youth with mental health conditions and substance use disorder.

See News & Announcements on HRSA.gov.