Capital Link has issued a new report providing a national picture of health center revenue loss, COVID-19-related expenses, the influx of relief funds through Dec. 31, 2020 and the estimated funding gap, based on the 15-month period from April 2020 through June 2021. Results show that the nation’s more than 1,400 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) experienced a 26 percent decline in patient visits between April and December 2020, as patients complied with stay-at-home orders. Without additional support to cover the identified $5.5B shortfall through June 2021, many health centers sites will remain closed, and 29,000 staff may be laid off or furloughed and 66 percent of FQHCs will drain cash reserves to dangerous levels.
