Miami Community Health Survey: Access to Care and Opportunities for Primary Care in an Underserved Urban Community

A partnership was established between the University of Miami (UM) and community organizations in Liberty City, a low-income Black neighborhood in Miami, to address health disparities. To better understand community members' perspective and to learn about barriers to health care utilization, a random household survey was conducted with 275 adults (40% male, 60% female) who live in the Liberty Square Housing Project a community located in the heart of Liberty City. The survey was a collaborative effort involving UM researchers and a community advisory board that was created to formalize this partnership. This presentation describes the study findings related to health care utilization and barriers to care, and outlines the partnerships multidisciplinary approach to reduce the encountered barriers and improve access to care. Most respondents (86%) reported good-to-excellent health status, 81% had a place to get routine health care (48% went to a clinic or doctor's office), and 80% saw a doctor within the past two years. Barriers to getting care included problems getting appointments, long waits at clinics, and no transportation. Respondents got health information from television (22%), health fairs (21%), and other community members (19%). Approximately 20% reported they could not afford medical care, prescription medication or eyeglasses in the past year. To address the need for services, UM faculty and staff worked with the community advisory board to develop and distribute a resource guide with information on health centers, transportation and, social services. A health fair was held at a neighborhood primary care center. Health fairs will be held each year as part of the UM School of Medicine's Department of Community Services (DOCS) program. Health fairs are staffed by medical students, and volunteer nurses, doctors and other health workers of the University of Miami/Jackson Health System with an interest in primary and preventive care. Researchers at UM are now using pilot data from the survey for grant applications to address other disparities, including tobacco use and cervical cancer screening By maintaining a lasting presence in the community, health promotion and disease prevention activities can be brought directly to the area eventually helping to remove barriers, improve access to care and, eliminate health disparities.