Across the United States, nearly 62 million people — 20 percent of the U.S. population — experience inadequate or no access to primary care because of shortages in primary-care providers in their communities, according to the National Association for Health Centers and the Robert Graham Center.
This shortage of providers can affect rural and urban communities, insured and uninsured patients, and individuals of all backgrounds. So how do we address the need for health care in underserved, high-need areas?
In the fall, Family First Health will open a health center site in downtown Columbia, dedicated to meeting the specific needs of individuals in their own community. We know, based on a community assessment conducted by Millersville University in 2014, that although health services in Columbia are acceptable for those with insurance, affordable care can be hard to find for the uninsured.