New CHIR Case Study Examines Policies to Expand Primary Care Access in West Virginia

By Maanasa Kona, Jalisa Clark, and Emma Walsh-Alker

Robust major care infrastructure is related to higher population well being outcomes and decreased well being disparities. However, many individuals within the U.S. lack major care entry—significantly communities of coloration and other people residing in rural areas.

In a new case examine, revealed in collaboration with the Milbank Memorial Fund, CHIR researchers examined stakeholder efforts to enhance major care entry in Kanawha County, West Virginia—an space designated as a major care well being skilled scarcity space for low-income residents. Kanawha county is house to the seat of the state authorities, Charleston, but additionally contains rural areas outdoors of town. Researchers discovered that coverage initiatives carried out on the native and state stage have had combined outcomes.

West Virginia has invested closely in enhancing the recruitment and retention of major care clinicians practising within the state by establishing a number of scholarship and mortgage reimbursement applications for well being professions college students. These applications have helped draw clinicians to West Virginia, although retention stays a problem. The state’s resolution to increase Medicaid has additionally considerably improved entry to major care for a lot of low-income residents.

On the opposite hand, West Virginia’s palms off strategy towards very important security internet clinics like federally certified well being facilities (FQHCs) and school-based well being facilities (SBHCs) has hindered these suppliers’ capacity to additional increase their attain and providers, and the state has but to take a management position in supporting and increasing the provision of group well being employees (CHWs). Further, Kanawha County residents battle to entry major care due to transportation and broadband-related limitations.

You can learn the complete case examine right here.

This work was supported by the National Institute for Health Care Reform.