Data Note: Key Updates from the Health Center COVID-19 Survey (Update #7): Despite a Drop in the Number and Percentage of Patients Testing Positive for COVID-19, the Percentage of Those Testing Positive Continued to Exceed National Percentages

A new data note updates previous findings on the impact of COVID-19 on community health centers. This weekly update summarizes and analyzes survey data collected by HRSA, as reported for May 15th, 2020. Key findings include:

Nationally, 91 percent of health centers reported the capacity to test for COVID-19.
In the week prior to the survey, 154,332 health center patients were tested for COVID-19.
The percentage of health center patients who tested positive for COVID-19 was 12.3 percent, which is higher than the range of 5.8 to 8.5 percent positive testing results across public health, clinical and commercial labs (as reported to the CDC for the week ending on May 16th, 2020).
Among all health center patients who tested positive for COVID-19, 72 percent were identified as racial/ethnic minorities. In 25 states DC, and Puerto Rico, minority patients accounted for at least 75 percent of those health center patients who tested positive for COVID-19.
Compared to their pre-COVID-19 visit volume, health centers nationally reported a decrease of 40 percent in the volume of visits.

The data note was produced by the Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative.
Download the data note here.

Data Note: Key Updates from the Health Center COVID-19 Survey (Update #7): Despite a Drop in the Number and Percentage of Patients Testing Positive for COVID-19, the Percentage of Those Testing Positive Continued to Exceed National Percentages.