June, a new Report Information from the Centers for Disease Control on access to Covid-19 treatments has revealed a huge hole in our nation’s healthcare system. Although nearly 40,000 dispensing points have been established — especially in high-vulnerability communities — these areas have the lowest rates of dispensing. In short, life-saving treatments are available, but those who need them most are not getting them.
Why? Because providing more medicines does not address the underlying systemic problems that drive health inequalities.
For the wealthy, our nation’s health care system works well — or well enough. But for people in both urban and rural underserved communities, existing systems are not delivering the right care and resources to those most in need at the right time.Increase Availability High-quality health care does not address the barriers that prevent patients from receiving this care.
For example, most people only get paid based on the hours they work. Two-thirds of low-wage workers Without paid sick leave, they simply can’t sacrifice hours of income for health care.and according to American Hospital Associationmillions of Americans do not seek care because they do not have access to safe and reliable transportation.
Securing child care is also out of reach for many families, which is why parents, especially mothers, often skip child care that can help them.One A recent study It was found that two-thirds of low-income parents skipped healthcare — even though more than 48 percent had at least one chronic disease.
The problem goes deeper than getting care during an illness. Sometimes, more importantly, preventative medicines don’t come along, ensuring poor health in the future. Continued management of conditions such as addiction or diabetes is disrupted or neglected, while diseases such as cancer or heart disease that can be detected and treated early are delayed until some time into the future.For example, research shows that women with lower incomes Not too possible Have regular mammograms.
It’s a vicious cycle, as poor health outcomes also lead to poor employment outcomes – meaning increased risk of poverty, stress and homelessness. Children suffer along with their parents, which keeps the cycle going.For example, children from low-income families are diagnosed with autism eight months later than those from wealthy families – for one reason they unlikely to receive Make regular healthy child visits.
So what should we do?
As the CDC report shows, flooding a community with “resources” is not enough. The missing piece is connecting these resources with the people who need them. This is where mobile health clinics can come into play. Mobile clinics mean that patients in underserved communities must go through fewer barriers to access high-quality care. multiple studies Mobile health clinics have been shown to be particularly effective in promoting access to health care for marginalized groups, including people of color, immigrants, and LGBTQ+ people. Not only do they advance health equity, but they complement other goals of healthcare organizations, such as building trust and expanding community outreach.
Nationwide, there are more than two thousand Mobile health clinics that provide customized and critical services to communities that are somewhat disconnected from the traditional healthcare system.Currently, these clinics serve seven million Americansbut the demand is much greater.
These clinics offer a wide range of services, from cancer screenings and STD testing to birth control and other pregnancy-related services. They also provide preventive care, health and wellness counseling, and referrals to employment, housing, and food resources. Patients don’t have to come to us; we go to them.
Persistent inefficiencies up and down the healthcare delivery chain create effective invisible barriers to much-needed healthcare. By working closely with the community, reaching out to those most in need and building trusting relationships, we can provide high-quality care that meets the needs of the whole person, no matter who they are or where they live.
Photo: Nina Shatirishvili, Getty Images
