Bridging the Gap in Access to Care: The Gulf Region Health Outreach Program and Frontline Community Health Centers

Through the Affordable Care Act, millions of Americans will gain insurance coverage. However, expanding health care coverage without providing access to high-quality primary care services addresses only part of the American health care dilemma. Too many uninsured and insured Americans have inadequate access to primary care. Consequently, under health reform, demand for health centers is escalating. Expanding the reach of health centers is a crucial tool in meeting demand, but health centers are also facing decreases in federal funding.

The purpose of this discussion is to provide an example of how the Gulf Region Health Outreach Program’s (GRHOP) Primary Care Capacity Project (PCCP) is helping health centers along the Gulf Coast to meet these challenges. As the sole Federally Qualified Health Center serving residents of Terrebonne Parish, and soon to be serving Lafourche Parish, Teche Action Clinic is also vulnerable to the obstacles that health centers across the country are encountering. Through the GRHOP, Teche Action Clinic is receiving funds that can support salaries, training, equipment, supplies, travel, renovations, and contracting.  This session will discuss how Teche Action Clinic is using PCCP funds, the type of technical assistance the health center is receiving through the project, and early examples of the project’s impact in Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes. The session will also discuss how GRHOP funding facilitates mental and behavioral health integration, environmental and occupational medicine service provision, and community health worker utilization in the health center.