Natural State News

The COVID-19 pandemic has had wide-reaching consequences across all portions of the economy, but at the center stage of the viral outbreak has been the nation’s hospitals, clinics and health centers.

LaShannon Spencer, Community Health Centers of Arkansas CEO, recently spoke with Roby Brock of Talk Business and Politics about the impact of the pandemic on the approximately 130 clinics, centers and facilities – including school-based health centers – she oversees, and the role they have played in responding to the coronavirus.

"Community Health Centers of Arkansas actually partnered with the governor, and we made a pledge to the governor to actually get so many folks statewide tested and access to COVID-19 tests," Spencer said. “And so, for a one-month period of time, we actually tested over 45,000 individuals for COVID.”

As the vaccines have come available, the health centers have also begun offering vaccinations to communities where they work, she said.

Yet, Spencer said, with their locations mostly in rural communities, they have seen hesitation for people to get vaccinated, and at this point have more supply than they do demand. She said she sees the solution to that in community leaders stepping up and leading the way on vaccinations.

Spencer told Brock that the Community Health Centers provide a wide range of services, from primary care to mental-behavioral, dental and vision, as well as other health services. As part of that, they provide services to under-insured patients on a sliding scale.