As patients enter the healthcare system, primary care is typically their first stop. Because of this, primary care clinicians have a unique opportunity to develop relationships with patients and communities. This also enables them to get a glimpse of the hardships that a particular patient or group of patients is dealing with and see how that can affect their overall well-being. As the healthcare system, and primary care in particular, shifts away from a transactional system, to one more focused on high quality, comprehensive care, these outside factors that often play a significant role in patients’ lives must be accounted for.
The CDC defines health disparities as preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations. It defines the social determinants of health as conditions in the places where people live, learn, work, and play. While several of these factors or locations fall out of the traditional sphere of primary care, a well-organized and coordinated primary care team should have the resources to help patients beyond their medical needs.
Title | Source | Date |
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Vaccine hesitancy falling significantly among Black Americans:Recent polling suggests Black Americans are becoming more open to COVID-19 vaccinations | April 13, 2021 | |
Washington State Becomes Latest Hot Spot in Measles Outbreak :Rash of new cases fueled by drop in vaccination rates in some areas | Wall Street Journal | January 23, 2019 |
When an Iowa Family Doctor Takes On the Opioid Epidemic | New York Times | June 23, 2018 |
While Considering Medicare For All: Policies For Making Health Care In The United States Better | Health Affairs Blog | June 6, 2019 |
Why health care costs are making consumers more afraid of medical bills than an actual illness | April 22, 2018 | |
With Rural Health Care Stretched Thin, More Patients Turn To Telehealth | NPR | July 7, 2019 |
‘Food Pharmacies’ In Clinics: When The Diagnosis Is Chronic Hunger | Kaiser Health News | December 10, 2019 |
“Here. Not There”: Rebalancing Health Systems Toward Primary Care | The Milbank Memorial Fund | February 6, 2020 |