Leveraging Telehealth to Improve Health Care Access in Rural America: It Takes More Than Bandwidth

2019 ◽  
Vol 171 (5) ◽  
pp. 376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce Baird Struminger ◽  
Sanjeev Arora
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Access ◽  
Rural America ◽  
Improve Health Care ◽  
Care Access ◽  
Improve Health

scholarly journals Workshop: MigHealthCare - strengthening Community Based Care to minimize health inequalities

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Inequalities ◽  
Health Care Access ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Improve Health Care ◽  
Care Access ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Care Models ◽  
Improve Health ◽  
The Eu

Abstract Over the past few years, a large number of refugees, migrants and asylum seekers have reached the south-eastern points of entry of the EU, challenging health and social systems of bordering countries with a spillover effect to the rest of the EU. Refugees, asylum seekers and migrants are at higher risk of poverty and social exclusion compared to the local populations, while the different vulnerable groups face diverse barriers when accessing health services. In many cases they do not receive appropriate health and social care that best meets their needs. Furthermore, in the EU MS, different practices apply to health and social care delivery for migrants/refugees. Research has shown the importance of community-based models to improve health care access of vulnerable migrants and refugees. Such models include elements of good communication, cultural awareness, sensitivity and respect for the diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds by community health care staff as well health education and primary healthcare services. Mig-HealthCare - strengthening Community Based Care to minimize health inequalities and improve the integration of vulnerable migrants and refugees into local communities, is a 3-year project, launched in 2017, with the financial support of the European Commission. It is implemented by a consortium of 14 partners among them universities, national authorities and NGOs from ten countries across Europe (Greece, France, Malta, Germany, Austria, Italy, Cyprus, Spain, Sweden and Bulgaria). The overall objective of Mig-HealthCare is to improve health care access for vulnerable migrants and refugees, support their inclusion and participation in European communities and reduce health inequalities. The project’s specific objectives are: Describe the current physical and mental health profile of vulnerable migrants and refugees including needs, expectations and capacities of service providers.Develop a roadmap and toolbox for the implementation of community based care models, following an assessment of existing health services and best practices.Train community service providers on appropriate delivery of health care models for vulnerable migrants and refugees.Pilot test and evaluate community based care models which emphasize prevention, physical and mental health promotion and integration. The project results are presented on behalf of the Mig-HealthCare consortium. Key messages The overall objective of Mig-HealthCare is to improve health care access for vulnerable migrants and refugees. The Mig-HealthCare project focuses on developing a roadmap to facilitate the effective implementation of community care models.

scholarly journals Medical Students Screen for Social Determinants of Health: A Service Learning Model to Improve Health Equity

PRiMER ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy Bickerton ◽  
Nicolle Siegart ◽  
Crystal Marquez
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Social Determinants Of Health ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Health Care Access ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Community Resources ◽  
Care Access ◽  
Improve Health

Introduction: Medical schools are now required to address health disparities within their curriculum, with a recent emphasis on social determinants of health (SDOH). However, there is scant evidence that incorporating educational experiences around SDOH impacts health equity for patients. The COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique setting to engage students to address SDOH directly with patients. Methods: The authors designed a service-learning experience in which medical students conducted a patient needs assessment survey by phone to assess SDOH in the domains of health care access, economic stability, and social cohesion. We drew descriptive statistics from a deidentified Excel database of call outcomes to quantify health care interactions and community resource referrals generated by callers. Results: The call outcomes revealed unmet health and social needs among the patient population and generated a substantial number of actions to improve health care access and awareness of community resources. Conclusion: The results of this project show that employing medical students to engage with SDOH through action-oriented service learning positively impacts health care access and referrals to community resources. This initiative provides a flexible model to engage medical trainees in addressing health-related social needs that can be applied to a range of clinical settings and learner levels.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document