Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #113208

Gorette Amaral, MHS, Antonia Biggs, PhD, and Claire Brindis, DrPH. Center for Reproductive Health Research and Policy, University of California, San Francisco, 3333 California Street, Suite 265, San Francisco, CA 94143, 415-476-0746, gorette@itsa.ucsf.edu

Access to primary care is vital to individuals' well-being. Lack of a primary care provider is associated with the receipt of fewer preventive medical procedures, substandard coordination of care, and poor chronic disease management. Since 1996, California has provided expanded Medicaid coverage for family planning services to individuals between 100-200% of the federal poverty level, people who would otherwise not qualify for such services, through the Family PACT Program. Since Family PACT enrollees have no other insurance, addressing their primary care needs is critical to their health. The extent to which family planning clinics facilitate referrals and increase access to primary care is not well understood.

This study surveyed 75% (n=950) of Family PACT providers to assess the extent to which family planning clinics offer primary care or refer clients to outside agencies, and to identify obstacles and strategies for facilitating referrals. Over 50% of clinics report that the majority of their clients rely on them as their only source of medical care, yet most do not offer comprehensive primary care, underscoring the need for effective referral mechanisms. The biggest barriers to providing referrals were difficulty in finding providers who will take on uninsured patients and client reluctance to visiting another facility. This study elucidates important insights about the primary care needs of family planning clients, referral practices, and the potential of family planning programs to improve access to primary care. Findings will inform the design of future programs, trainings, and resources to facilitate client referrals to primary care services.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to

(
• Describe the primary care referral practices of public and private family planning providers; (
• Recognize barriers associated with referring patients to primary care; (
• Articulate the potential of family planning clinics to improve access and increase referrals to primary care services.

Keywords: Primary Care, Access to Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.