Is There A (Volunteer) Doctor In The House? Free Clinics And Volunteer Physician Referral Networks In The United States

Breast cancer is one of the leading types of preventable cancer among women in the United States. Despite improvements in mammography and early detection techniques for breast cancer, special population groups within the United States continue to experience high incidence and mortality rates. This paper focuses on Kentucky's underserved populations. The research objectives were to: 1) identify the factors that motivate women at risk to be screened for breast cancer; and, 2) identify the factors that deter women at risk from being screened for breast cancer. A combination of quantitative (survey n=407) and qualitative (focus groups=19; in-depth interviews=58) research methods were used to examine factors that influence mammography use. Factors that motivate women to have mammograms include: physician referral; the belief that early detection will improve breast cancer outcomes; and, the belief that a mammogram is an effective test. Factors deterring women from having mammograms include: lack of physician referral; cost; and, the belief that mammography is dangerous. Research findings point to the need for a comprehensive, integrated approach to increasing utilization rates. This approach includes recommendations for increasing physician referrals, modifying service delivery, training staff, and development of client education materials and a public information campaign. These recommendations have been incorporated into a social marketing plan to increase utilization of mammography services in the state of Kentucky.

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Pharmacy student involvement in student-run free clinics in the United States

Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning ◽

10.1016/j.cptl.2017.09.008 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 41-46 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Dema Mohammed ◽

Kyle Turner ◽

Kylee Funk

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Student Involvement ◽

The United States ◽

Pharmacy Student ◽

Free Clinics

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Socioeconomic disparities among uninsured cancer patients: A free clinic study.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2019.37.15_suppl.e18110 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. e18110-e18110

Author(s):

Madeline MacDonald ◽

Yuanyuan Lu ◽

Ethan Song ◽

Noura Ayoubi ◽

Katherine Robinson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Retrospective Chart Review ◽

The United States ◽

Socioeconomic Disparities ◽

Free Clinics ◽

Chi Square ◽

Cancer Data ◽

Bay Area

e18110 Background: Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States and approximately 38.4% of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime. Cancer treatment and follow-up care is expensive and uninsured individuals may face barriers to receiving necessary treatments. Minorities may encounter additional barriers to accessing healthcare. There is limited research about socioeconomic disparities in uninsured cancer patients seen at free clinics in the United States. Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted to collect chronic disease parameters from electronic medical records and paper charts at nine free clinics in the Tampa Bay area in Florida. Demographics were compared between cancer patients and the non-cancer population via chi-square test or independent samples t-test. Results: Between January 2016 and December 2017, 9127 uninsured patients were seen at nine free clinics. 2137 patients were excluded from the study because there was no cancer data in their charts. Of the patients included in the study, 221 (3.2%) had a current or past diagnoses of cancer. Cancer patients were more likely to be female (n = 145, 65.9), p = 0.048, compared to non-cancer patients. Cancer patients were more likely to be Caucasian (n = 106, 89.1%), p < 0.001 compared to non-cancer patients (n = 2489, 69.3%). Cancer patients were less likely to be African American compared to non-cancer patients (n = 6, 5.0% vs. n = 754, 21%), p < 0.001. Cancer patients were significantly older than non-cancer patients (M = 54.1, SD = 12.0) vs. (M = 41.0, SD = 16.7), p < 0.001. Patients who had cancer were more likely to be unemployed compared to non-cancer patients (n = 78, 54.9% vs. n = 1685, 46.6%), p = 0.050. Conclusions: The study revealed that uninsured cancer patients are more likely to be unemployed, female, of older age, and Caucasian compared to non-cancer patients. It appears that uninsured African Americans are not utilizing free clinics for their healthcare and may be lost to follow-up. A variety of factors may have contributed to these disparities in this vulnerable population including lack of transportation, lack of awareness of free resources in the area, and more. This study increases awareness of disparities in uninsured, cancer patients.

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Introduction to Access to Healthcare

The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Health Law ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190846756.013.46 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

André den Exter ◽

Mark A. Hall ◽

Allison K. Hoffman ◽

Keith Syrett

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Safety Net ◽

The United States ◽

Access To Healthcare ◽

Fundamental Question ◽

Direct Access ◽

Free Clinics ◽

The United Kingdom ◽

Eligible Population ◽

Costs Of Treatment

This chapter demonstrates how the comparison between Europe and the United States reveals two very different approaches to dealing with the fundamental question of access to healthcare. Here, ‘access to care’ consists of both availability and affordability. Affordability is determined by how a country helps people to pay for care, including by means of healthcare coverage that entitles or enables a patient to access affordable care. Coverage is commonly provided by some type of insurance that pays for the costs of treatment. But care can be arranged and paid for more directly, without insurance, through a program that simply operates facilities or clinics serving an eligible population, as in the United Kingdom. Typically, these direct-access programs are run by government, but they may also be privately operated, as for instance the free clinics and ‘safety net’ hospitals that serve the uninsured in the United States.

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Free Clinics in the United States

Archives of Internal Medicine ◽

10.1001/archinternmed.2010.107 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 170 (11) ◽

pp. 946 ◽

Cited By ~ 63

Author(s):

Julie S. Darnell

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

The United States ◽

Free Clinics

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A Survey of Patients and Providers at Free Clinics Across the United States

Journal of Community Health ◽

10.1007/s10900-010-9286-x ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. 83-93 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Alida Maria Gertz ◽

Scott Frank ◽

Carol E. Blixen

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

The United States ◽

Free Clinics

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Party Strength in the United States: Some Corrections

The Journal of Politics ◽

10.1017/s0022381600041591 ◽

1975 ◽

Vol 37 (2) ◽

pp. 641-642 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Paul T. David

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

The United States ◽

Party Strength

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Correlative microscopy in distrubuted (client/server) computing environments: tools for catalyzing the rapid dissemination of information about the cell biology of the human prostate

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100139780 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 53 ◽

pp. 682-683

Author(s):

A. Hakam ◽

J.T. Gau ◽

M.L. Grove ◽

B.A. Evans ◽

M. Shuman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Cell Biology ◽

Tissue Bank ◽

The United States ◽

Prostate Adenocarcinoma ◽

Correlative Microscopy ◽

Client Server ◽

Critical Elements ◽

Transplant Organ

Prostate adenocarcinoma is the most common malignant tumor of men in the United States and is the third leading cause of death in men. Despite attempts at early detection, there will be 244,000 new cases and 44,000 deaths from the disease in the United States in 1995. Therapeutic progress against this disease is hindered by an incomplete understanding of prostate epithelial cell biology, the availability of human tissues for in vitro experimentation, slow dissemination of information between prostate cancer research teams and the increasing pressure to “ stretch” research dollars at the same time staff reductions are occurring.To meet these challenges, we have used the correlative microscopy (CM) and client/server (C/S) computing to increase productivity while decreasing costs. Critical elements of our program are as follows:1) Establishing the Western Pennsylvania Genitourinary (GU) Tissue Bank which includes >100 prostates from patients with prostate adenocarcinoma as well as >20 normal prostates from transplant organ donors.

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