The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), provided $225 million to rural health clinics for COVID-19 testing, according to a press release from HHS.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) designates outpatient medical offices as rural health clinics if they provide care in underserved rural communities.
HRSA allocated funding to more than 4,500 rural health clinics, based on the number of certified sites they operate, providing nearly $50,000 per clinic site.
The funding was appropriated through the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act.
HRSA also is awarding $500,000 to the rural health clinics to pay for the technical assistance, which includes such activities as conducting webinars and providing resources and guidance for implementation and management of testing programs.
