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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Betty Smith-Campbell, RN, PhD, School of Nursing, Wichita State University, 1845 Fairmount, Box 41, Wichita, KS 67002, 316-978-5746, Betty.Smith-Campbell@wichita.edu
Access to health care has been and continues to be a problem in the United States for the uninsured and underinsured. Although increasing, there remains a dearth of research on the effectiveness of Community Health Centers (CHC) for the uninsured and underinsured. Recently President Bush (2001) proposed a $124 million increase for CHCs to strengthen the health care safety net for those most in need. Nurses often provide the majority of care at CHCs. The purpose of this study will be to determine whether CHCs influenced access to health care for the uninsured. The Aday Access Framework (1980) will guide this descriptive study. The framework hypothesizes that policy may affect directly the health care system and the system, in turn, may affect utilization patterns. Previously Smith-Campbell (2000) found that one CHC decreased uninsured ED visits by almost 40%. This follow-up study will measure continued ED utilization patterns by insurance status. A cost-analysis will also be conducted on the influence the CHC has on hospital charity care. Analysis of the findings is expected to be completed June 2002. Research studies, such as this, have the potential to influence policies that affect availability and affordability of health care services.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Access to Health Care, Vulnerable Populations
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.