Community Health Centers Key to Medical Safety Net

USA Today on Wednesday published several articles on federally funded community health centers. Headlines and summaries appear below.

• "Health Centers Provide Safety Net: But Lack of Medical Personnel Threatens Underserved Areas": The national network of 952 community health centers provides a "vital and often overlooked health care safety net" for 14 million low-income and uninsured U.S. residents, USA Today reports. According to USA Today, the centers have performed "efficiently and effectively" but help less than one-third of residents who require their services because of a shortage of available physicians (Wheeler [1], USA Today, 7/18).
• "Baltimore Centers Are Big Relief for Immigrants, Poor Families": The eight community health centers in Baltimore operated by the Baltimore Medical System provide immigrants and low-income and uninsured individuals with a combination of services that "doesn't exist at hospitals or private physicians' offices," USA Today reports (Wheeler [2], USA Today, 7/18).
• "Hispanics, Uninsured Drive Growth at Health Centers": The number of Hispanic residents who seek services at community health centers nationwide increased by 52% to 4.8 million from 2000 to 2005, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration, USA Today reports. Some of those Hispanic residents are undocumented immigrants, but the centers "must treat everyone, regardless of ability to pay or immigration status," according to USA Today (Wheeler [3], USA Today, 7/18).