Sometimes it's not quite as simple as “If you build it, they will come.” Sometimes the real issue in access to healthcare
is exactly that, access. Medicaid may be providing a great benefit and community clinics a great resource, but if the
patient doesn't have transportation or the clinic is only open during work and school hours, problems can still remain. In
an effort to make healthcare more accessible, a network of federally qualified community health centers has grown up
around the country. Innis Community Health Center in Pointe Coupee Parish is one of them. The clinic started providing
primary medical care to the community in 2001 and has since added dental and mental health care. A sliding pay scale
makes the services accessible to the poor and underinsured, and Medicaid funds help with those who can't afford to pay
at all. More than just physician's services, the comprehensive clinic provides a safety net for the insured, the uninsured,
or the underinsured. But until recently there was still a missing element.
After a few years, administrators realized that while the dental office at the clinic was thriving, they still were not seeing
very many children. Lack of transportation, fear of missing school, or working parents who couldn't take the time off were
the main problems.
R
egional
by: Karen Stassi