Federal shutdown could disrupt patient care at safety-net clinics across U.S.

An exam room at North Side Christian Health Center, a safety-net clinic that serves patients in a majority-Black neighborhood in Pittsburgh. Financial fallout from a federal government shutdown could force the clinic to cut back hours or services such as dental or mental health. (Sarah Boden / WESA)

Community health centers across the country are anxiously watching the budget impasse in Congress. Some 1,400 clinics depend on federal funds to serve the most vulnerable patients, and any interruptions in their funding will only add to the financial pressures they already face.

These federally-qualified health centers, or FQHCs, are often located in low-income or rural communities. They deliver care on a sliding-fee scale and are mandated to serve everyone regardless of a patient's ability to pay. For millions of Americans, these clinics are the only way they can access primary care.