Latest News On Community Health

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Tribal Health Workers Aren’t Paid Like Their Peers. See Why Nevada Changed That.

KFF Health News Original

Community health workers, who often help patients get to their appointments and pick up prescriptions for them, have increasingly been recognized as an integral part of treating chronic illnesses. But state-run Medicaid programs don’t always reimburse them equally, usually excluding those who work on tribal lands.

Adolescentes latinos se entrenan para educar sobre las vacunas contra covid

KFF Health News Original

Organizaciones comunitarias de salud en California y en todo el país forman a adolescentes, muchos de ellos latinos, para que actúen como educadores de la salud en la escuela, en las redes sociales y en las comunidades donde persiste el miedo a la vacuna contra covid.

Community Health Centers’ Big Profits Raise Questions About Federal Oversight

KFF Health News Original

Nonprofit federally funded health centers are a linchpin in the nation’s health care safety net because they treat the medically underserved. The average profit margin is 5%, but some have recorded margins of 20% or more in three of the past four years.

Downsized City Sees Its Health Care Downsized as Hospital Awaits Demolition

KFF Health News Original

A 124-year-old hospital in a midsize Rust Belt city in Indiana will soon be torn down, despite protests from residents and city officials decrying the loss of local health services. The Catholic hospital system said it is downsizing the 226-bed hospital because of a lack of demand for inpatient care, as the organization has been building new hospitals in wealthier suburbs.

Pandemic Funding Is Running Out for Community Health Workers

KFF Health News Original

Illinois used federal pandemic money to hire community health workers who connect people with food banks and rental assistance programs, just like public health officials have long hoped to do. What will happen to the community trust that has been built up when the federal money runs out and the workers disappear?

Despite Seniors’ Strong Desire to Age in Place, the Village Model Remains a Boutique Option

KFF Health News Original

Membership-based villages help arrange services for seniors — such as handyman help or transportation to appointments — and provide social connections through classes, leisure opportunities, or community events. Despite great promise, they have been slow to expand because of difficulties raising funding and keeping people interested.

De auto en auto y de puerta en puerta para vacunar a los más desprotegidos

KFF Health News Original

El 15 de abril, todos los adultos de California serán elegibles para inscribirse para recibir una vacuna y, a principios del verano, el objetivo es tener suficientes dosis para cualquier adulto que la quiera.

Beating the Pavement to Vaccinate the Underrepresented — And Protect Everyone

KFF Health News Original

In poor neighborhoods and desert towns, community activists — some unpaid — are signing up hard-to-reach people for vaccination appointments. Experts say these campaigns are key to building the country’s immunological armor against new outbreaks.

Community Health Workers, Often Overlooked, Bring Trust to the Pandemic Fight

KFF Health News Original

As the pandemic brings long-standing health disparities into sharper view, community health workers are being asked to help the public health response. This fast-growing workforce helps fill the gaps between health care providers and low-income communities by offering education, advocacy and outreach.

COVID-19 Batters A Beloved Bay Area Community Health Care Center

KFF Health News Original

Health clinics in isolated African American communities in the San Francisco Bay Area provide crucial services to neglected populations. But like thousands of other community clinics around the nation, their finances have been wrecked by the pandemic shutdown.

Under Financial Strain, Community Health Centers Ramp Up Coronavirus Response

KFF Health News Original

Many of the nation’s safety-net clinics for low-income patients are having to turn their model of care upside down overnight to deal with the realities of the pandemic — a challenge both financially and logistically. Federal funding is on the way.

Masks Reveal Cultural Disconnect As L.A.’s Chinese Community Braces For Coronavirus

KFF Health News Original

Since two cases of the mysterious new coronavirus were reported in Southern California, Chinese immigrants have begun donning face masks. The practice is common in China but goes against official guidance in the U.S., and that’s causing conflict in local schools.