Oral

The purpose of this session, Health Services Research: Barriers to Care & Interventions to Improve Access, is to highlight the barriers of care and interventions that have improved access to healthcare in the US and Canada. By identifying the social, economic, and environmental conditions that influence access, this session highlights local resources and technology as assets to increasing access to care, and inequitable access as a barrier to care. This session provides evidence of the utilization of eye care providers and community health workers to provide real-time, relevant data so that patients will have the tools necessary to make informed decisions about their health. In addition, patients will have the opportunity to increase health literacy by working with trained professionals and information directly relevant to their health or illness. Relevant for ensuring increased access to healthcare is the evidence of increased access due to more equitable care. Evidence from a comparison study of Canadian and American women highlights the increased availability of healthcare technologies in vulnerable neighborhoods for long-term breast cancer survival. Important for reducing barriers to healthcare and increasing access to healthcare is the introduction of technologies and programs for the careful monitoring and feedback of health performance by culturally competent-trained professionals such as local healthcare providers and community health workers who are familiar with the level of health literacy of a particular neighborhood.

Session Objectives: 1. Identify means for utilizing community as a resource to increase access to healthcare and encourage health literacy for vulnerable populations in urban neighborhoods. 2. Evaluate the relationship between alternative and innovative means to increase access to healthcare, health literacy, and equity. 3. Discuss the effectiveness of accessing real-time health information on expanding health literacy for individuals and communities.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)