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ACCESS TO HEAlTH CARE
Insights
Access to quality health care services knowledgeable individuals to
is critical to good health, yet rural provide phone and walk-in support,
residents face barriers that can have thus ensuring service for all
significant consequences including: population groups. Further, they
• Delays in receiving suggested that the center would A Matter of urgency?
appropriate care. offer a website and online directory,
available 24 hours a day to connect Use of an emergency
• Inability to access residents with needed services department for conditions that
preventive services. and providers. could have been managed by
• Financial burdens. They also explored the effectiveness a primary care provider or in
another less-acute setting is
• Preventable hospitalizations. of community health outreach one health indicator used to
evaluate access to health care
• Inappropriate use of programs in rural settings. They services in a community.
emergency services. found several promising models with Treatment in an emergency
documented success in improving
These issues were echoed by access to care. These included department can cost two to
participants in the 2015 Community expanding the role of emergency three times more than the
Needs Assessment Survey and medical services (EMS) personnel same care in a provider’s office.
Yet here in Island County,
focus groups. Concerns most cited as a crucial link in the chain of care; residents receiving Medicaid-
included the high cost of health care, and improving outreach through the funded health care utilize
inadequate or no insurance coverage, employment of community health the emergency department
and lack of available services or workers. The use of community significantly more often than
appropriate providers. their counterparts statewide.
health workers to overcome ethnic
Studies have shown that improving and racial disparities in health care
access to health information and has been well documented and Figure 2
information technologies may help members agreed to investigate both Patient visits to an emergency
reduce health disparities through models more fully before finalizing department for conditions that
their potential to promote health, recommendations. 6 could have been managed in a
prevent disease and support clinical Finally, the group found that local primary care or other setting,
(Medicaid-funded visits only).
care. As a result, one of the first efforts were underway to increase
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areas examined by members of the community awareness about the
Access to Care Work Group was how value of advance care planning as 50% m WA State
county residents find health care part of the overall patient care plan. 40% m Island County
information. Advance care planning is defined as
The work group discovered that making decisions about the care a 30%
Island County lacked a centralized patient would want to receive if they 20%
resource for comprehensive were unable to speak for themselves.
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information about local providers Members identified this work as an 10%
and services. Consequently, they opportunity to build on community 0%
Children
Adults
recommended the development interests to increase individual Total 1-17 years 18+ years
of a health care resource center. engagement in proactive health
Source: Washington State Health Care
The center would be staffed with care planning. Authority. Healthier Washington Dashboard,
July 2015-June 2016. Available at www.hca.wa.gov
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