Health-Care Provision for Local Disadvantaged Populations: Results from a Community-Based Study

Abstract

In recent decades, the United States saw substantial growth in the number of free health-care clinics that provide access to health care for economically disadvantaged populations. For many individuals, these clinics serve as the only available source of non-emergency, primary medical care. However, we know relatively little about the populations who rely most heavily on these free clinics. This paper presents a community-based research project conducted with and for the Volunteers in Medicine of Monroe and Owen Counties (Indiana) that seeks to develop a greater understanding of those using the clinic. A total of 149 patients participated in the Volunteers in Medicine Assessment of Patients and Services, from which we are able to outline some general characteristics of the clinic's patient population with regard to conventional socio-economic measures. Although we find health disparities between racial/ethnic groups and groups with different levels of education, we find no significant differences in utilization of health-care services at the VIM clinic. The most frequent reasons for visiting the clinic were for “monitoring of an ongoing condition” (54 percent) or a “general check-up” (40 percent), while the services most often utilized were the pharmacy (74 percent) and lab services (68 percent). Finally, we find that social networks play a role in the way many patients first learn about the VIM clinic, and may play a role in the clinic's future efforts to expand its services. We discuss these findings, emphasize the need for further research of this kind in light of the shifting state of the United States health-care system, and recommend directions for future research.