How COVID-19 changed health care access for vulnerable children in safety-net clinics
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Safety Net Performance, Disparities, and Vulnerable Children
This project looks at how the COVID-19 pandemic changed primary and mental health care use for children who rely on safety-net clinics, especially BIPOC and other vulnerable groups.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | National Bureau of Economic Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cambridge, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11130983 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If your child gets care at a community health center, this project studies how the pandemic affected their access to primary and mental health services. Researchers will analyze electronic health records from the ADVANCE clinical data network covering over 500,000 children treated in safety-net clinics across 30 states, and will also use Medicaid data from three large states. They will compare patterns before and after the pandemic and focus on groups like children with emotional disorders, those with past abuse, children in foster care, homeless youth, LGBTQ+ children, and BIPOC children. The goal is to find where care gaps and disparities grew so policies and clinics can better support vulnerable kids going forward.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Children (roughly birth to 11 years) who receive care at safety-net or community health centers—especially uninsured or Medicaid-enrolled children and those who are BIPOC, in foster care, homeless, LGBTQ+, or have emotional disorders.
Not a fit: Children who receive care only in private, non–safety-net settings or who live outside the clinics and states represented in the datasets are unlikely to be reflected in the findings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Results could help shape policies and clinic practices to restore and improve timely primary and mental health care for vulnerable children after COVID-19.
How similar studies have performed: Other studies have documented large drops in pediatric visits during COVID-19, but this project uses a much larger safety-net network and multiple vulnerable subgroups to provide broader, policy-relevant insight.
Where this research is happening
Cambridge, United States
- National Bureau of Economic Research — Cambridge, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Evans Cuellar, Alison — National Bureau of Economic Research
- Study coordinator: Evans Cuellar, Alison
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.