As National Health Center Week kicks off on Monday, Jane A. Hayward, president and CEO of the Rhode Island Health Center Association, discusses the role that health centers play in communities across the state, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
Rhode Island’s Statehouse dome will be lit up in blue this week in honor of National Health Center Week, which pays tribute to the service that the centers have offered communities over the past 50 years. This year’s theme is “Lighting the Way for Healthier Communities Today and in the Future.”
PBN: What role have community health centers played in Rhode Island during the COVID-19 health crisis?
HAYWARD: I am incredibly proud and in awe of how Rhode Island’s community health centers have responded to the COVID-19 health crisis. They have played an absolutely critical role in providing care to their communities during this unprecedented time. Always innovative and creative, the health centers were nimble in establishing respiratory clinics, walk-up testing sites, and pivoting to telehealth to provide primary, behavioral and oral health care.
While the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 became a daily focus, the health centers continued to care for their patients with chronic health conditions [such as] hypertension, diabetes and asthma. They also prioritized care for pregnant women and children under the age of 2 and ensured that patients’ needs for food and medicine were met – even delivering food to families in their communities.
Additionally, the health centers are working diligently this summer to make sure that all children are up to date on their immunizations. Childhood vaccination rates have plummeted in Rhode Island during the COVID-19 pandemic and the health centers are focused on reversing this trend so that children are protected from serious diseases such as measles, mumps and whooping cough. This is especially important now as families prepare for school in the fall.
PBN: What do providers at community health centers say must be done to continue the fight against COVID-19 in Rhode Island, especially in underserved communities?
HAYWARD: Our providers believe that everyone has to play a role in fighting COVID-19, and we can all do that by wearing a face mask, social distancing and through frequent handwashing. Additionally, the community needs to be aware that testing and care are available to them and to understand how, when and where they should access this.
The health centers have worked hard to reach individuals and families in their communities with these messages in linguistically and culturally appropriate ways. This information is especially crucial for those at increased risk due to being an essential worker or living in multigenerational households in very densely populated neighborhoods. Since community health centers are accustomed to serving and communicating with these vulnerable populations, they are a critical source of this messaging.
PBN: Has care for non-COVID-19 health issues been interrupted at the centers by the pandemic? If so, when are things expected to return to “normal”?
HAYWARD: I am proud to report that Rhode Island’s community health centers did not skip a beat on providing care to their patients for non-COVID-19 health issues once the pandemic hit. While care has been provided “differently” since the arrival of the public health crisis, it is a testament to the agility and adaptability of the health centers that the “normal” health care needs of their patients continued to be met, and that remains true today. The health centers were able to quickly establish telemedicine services to meet the needs of their communities to deliver primary care, as well as oral and behavioral health care.
Over the past few months, the health centers have been able to resume some in-person visits but continue to use telemedicine to meet patients’ needs effectively. The truth is, we are not likely to see a full return to a pre-COVID-19 environment in any area of our lives. One positive of the pandemic is that telemedicine will likely remain a vital and essential tool for providers to use in their patients’ care. Telemedicine has increased access to behavioral health services, and patients report that they find it a positive change as they seek behavioral health care.
PBN: What areas of the state see the highest number of patients at community health centers, and how important are the centers to overall community health in these areas?
HAYWARD: To best answer this, it’s important to explain the mission and role of Rhode Island’s community health centers. There are eight Federally Qualified Health Centers located across the state in urban, rural and suburban areas. Their role in the health care delivery system is unique because Rhode Island does not have any municipal or county health departments and our state health department does not deliver care. The community health centers are the public health system’s “boots on the ground.” They provide affordable and high-quality primary, oral and behavioral health care to almost 19% of the state’s population. As not-for-profit organizations, each health center is governed by a board of directors – the majority of whom must be patients. This unique governance structure ensures that health centers are focused on meeting the needs of the community in providing care. Of special emphasis is the fact that the health centers see all patients regardless of their ability to pay.
With more than 32 sites across the state, an estimated 190,000 Rhode Islanders were seen in 2019 for primary, oral and behavioral care. The health centers have become providers of choice for many individuals and families. In some communities, [such as] Central Falls, the local health center is the focus of medical care for the entire city. Many health centers began decades ago as small storefront clinics in their communities. Today, community health centers are housed in modern, well-appointed offices and have become among the most innovative and progressive primary, oral and behavioral health care practices in the state.
PBN: What types of services are most in demand now, as COVID-19 cases in the state see a slight uptick?
HAYWARD: Health centers continue to provide prevention, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19, as well as meet the remaining care needs of their communities. Respiratory clinics and testing are available, as are the continuum of other primary and behavioral health services. Oral health services continue to be impacted by COVID-19. Health centers are updating air filtration systems, appropriately disinfecting and using personal protective equipment to provide oral health treatment in an environment that is safe for both patients and staff. The health centers are the backbone of dental services to Rhode Islanders who are on Medicaid or who are uninsured. That demand continues.
Through every phase of COVID-19, including the recent uptick, every single staff member of the community health centers has been a “health center hero.” They are all working in some of the hardest-hit communities in the state, and while I know they are weary, they never complain. They are committed to providing health care to their communities, many of which are underserved, and take great pride in meeting the needs of their patients. I could not be prouder to be associated with them. Please join me in extending thanks this week – National Health Center Week – to these incredible health center heroes!
Elizabeth Graham is a PBN contributing writer.
