Recent executive actions by former President Donald Trump have begun affecting patient care across the United States, with some healthcare providers facing challenges in accessing critical federal funding. Interviews with multiple healthcare professionals and policy advocates reveal that these funding obstacles have forced some facilities to shut down clinics, reduce staff, and halt essential services.
Community health centers in Virginia and West Virginia reported closures and layoffs due to a lack of federal funds. Meanwhile, other clinics in California and Virginia received notices terminating grants that support HIV prevention programs. Some of these funding cuts stem from executive orders eliminating diversity, gender, and inclusion initiatives, while others appear to be related to a broader freeze on federal spending, which was recently lifted.
According to a analysis, tens of billions of dollars in funding for various federally approved programs, including those in clean energy, remain inaccessible due to multiple administrative directives.
“There is mass confusion. Without immediate clarification from federal agencies, these interruptions will continue to escalate,” stated David C. Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors.
“This funding supports essential operations, including payroll, rent, and medical supplies.” Officials from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have yet to issue a response regarding these disruptions.
Health Centers in Virginia Face Closures.
In Virginia, three community health centers near Richmond were forced to shut down after federal funds for staff salaries remained inaccessible for over a week, according to Joe Stevens, spokesperson for the Virginia Community Healthcare Association. Nine additional clinics across the state are currently relying on reserve funds to continue operations. “They will need financial support in the next week,” Stevens explained. “We are unsure why some clinics have access to funds while others do not.”
These community health centers provide medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmaceutical, and substance use treatment for nearly 400,000 patients in Virginia. In rural areas, they are often the only source of primary care for residents.
One southwestern Virginia clinic remains unable to access funds, leaving patients with no nearby alternative forcing them to travel more than an hour for medical attention. Although some providers have regained access to Medicaid payments and grant money following the spending freeze’s reversal, others remain cut off from funding that covers prescriptions, behavioral health services, and essential care. “The situation is constantly changing,” said Alison Barkoff, a health law and policy expert at George Washington University.
West Virginia Clinic Faces Staffing Crisis.
The Appalachian Center for Independent Living in Charleston, West Virginia, was left without funding for over a week, forcing the layoff of three out of five employees. Although the clinic later regained access to federal funds and offered to rehire the dismissed employees, two declined to return, citing financial instability as a key concern, according to Executive Director Meredith Pride. “We have no choice but to keep pushing forward and do what we can to sustain operations,” Pride stated.
HIV Prevention Services Threatened.
Late last week, multiple HIV prevention clinics and health centers for transgender patients were informed that their Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grants would be revoked. These termination notices referenced the Trump administration’s policy changes regarding diversity and gender identity.
A CDC spokesperson redirected questions regarding the funding cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
One affected organization, St. John’s Well Child and Family Center, which operates public health clinics in South and Central Los Angeles, can no longer access $746,000 from a $1.6 million federal grant. This funding was previously used to provide prevention, testing, and treatment services for approximately 500 transgender individuals at risk for HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), tuberculosis, and hepatitis C.
“We will not reduce any programs due to these threats from the federal government,” stated Jim Mangia, president of St. John’s Well Child and Family Center.
The organization has since joined a lawsuit filed by California’s attorney general challenging the grant terminations. Meanwhile, private funding sources are being sought to compensate for the financial loss. Similarly, the LGBT Life Center in Norfolk, Virginia, received notice that $6.3 million in federal funding nearly 48% of its annual budget would be revoked, according to spokesperson Corey Mohr. The center provides medication and medical care to 400 HIV patients.
Mohr warns that cutting funding for HIV treatment and prevention will ultimately lead to higher healthcare costs and worsen health outcomes by increasing the number of patients requiring complex, costly interventions.
