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Thursday, September 23, 2010

Are Rural Health Clinics Part of the Rural Safety Net?

A report that highlights the importance of Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) to the healthcare safety net was just released today. Published by the Maine Rural Health Research Center, this policy breif entitled, Are Rural Health Clinics Part of the Rural Safety Net? highlights the importance of RHCs in providing primary care services in rural areas. In particular, in communities without a Community Health Center (CHC), RHCs provide a majority of care to those insured by Medicaid & CHP. The report also highlights the lack of funding and resources for RHCs, as they have been left out of funding from both the stimulus bill and federal health reform. While there are measures in the federal health reform law to incentivize RHCs to collaborate with CHCs, RHCs in and of themselves have been largely overlooked as part of the healthcare safety net. Read the full report by clicking HERE.