September 2000 • Volume 6 • Number 9
HHS launches national campaign to improve care for underserved people
BY SHARON DENT
Comparing the nation's health care system to a patchwork quilt, Assistant Surgeon General Donald Weaver, M.D., told attendees at the Aug. 2-6 National Conference of Family Practice Residents and Medical Students in Kansas City, Mo., that some mending is in order.
Donald Weaver, M.D., National health Service Corps director, details ways to provide high-quality care to underserved groups."I believe that we really don't have a health care system in the United States of America," said Weaver, National Health Service Corps director. "What I believe we have is a patchwork quilt. It's a quilt that's warm and secure for many, to be sure, but it's threadbare and worn and nonexistent for many others. We still have work to do."
Repairs will involve three major steps, he said.
First, everyone should have health insurance. Weaver reminded the crowd about the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which has the potential to enroll 10 million children.
However, he stressed that insurance is useless if the patient has no access to health care services. "Once someone has that insurance card, they need to have a quality primary care home that has a base in prevention," said Weaver.
Finally, he said, "keep your eye on the prize." The third step of health system reform involves improving care of individuals and communities.
The Bureau of Primary Health Care in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has launched a new campaign with those three steps in mind, Weaver said. The campaign's theme is "100 Percent Access and Zero Health Disparities."
To promote those lofty goals, the bureau examined models in communities that were successfully meeting the health needs of their patient populations.
What were some common threads in these models?
- Each included community-responsive health care providers and administrators.
- Each demonstrated a working knowledge of the importance of cultural com-petency.
- The use of interdisciplinary teams enabled each model to tap the strengths of every team member.
For more details on the campaign, go to http://bphc.hrsa.gov/campaign.htm on the Web.
FP Report is published by the AAFP News Department.
Copyright © 2000 by American Academy of Family Physicians.
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