This study released by the George Washington University Department of Health Policy and the RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative examined the impact of $1.85 billion in ARRA community health center funding.  The study found that the federal funds enabled community health centers to generate $3.2 billion in economic activity in underserved communities by investing in service expansions and new jobs. The researchers conclude that the ARRA achieved its goal of providing sustainability and growth to the neediest of communities. 

From the report:

ARRA’s direct investments in health centers are expected to provide significant relief to many communities hit hardest by the recession, since the factors that make a community eligible for a health center – elevated poverty, shortages of primary care, and elevated health risks – are also characteristics of communities that are disproportionately minority, have a lower-wage workforce and have experienced the highest rates of job loss. A measure of the link between medical under service designation and the economic impact of the recession on poorer communities can be seen in a 2009 survey that found that health center visits increased by 14 percent between June 2008 and June 2009, and that total visits for uninsured patients increased by 21 percent, compared with only a six percent increase during the previous year. Because lower income families tend to experience the harshest effects of economic crises, understanding the impact of the ARRA health center investment can serve as an important barometer of the role of public investment during a time of economic challenge.