Barriers to Health

Safe streets, safe pedestrians: an issue of equity
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Safe streets, safe pedestrians: an issue of equity

More than twenty percent of Cincinnatians do not own a car. City Council member Mark Jeffreys believes that walkable streets in Cincinnati are “not just about safety but tied to so many other issues. It’s an area of equity.”  If it seems to you that pedestrian safety has become an increasingly urgent issue in the…

“First, you have to get there”: Access to care and transportation obstacles 
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“First, you have to get there”: Access to care and transportation obstacles 

Getting to appointments can be the hardest part of staying current with medical care for Kia Davis’ clients. Davis is a Community Health Worker (CHW), who cares for pregnant mothers and children through Mercy Health. Mercy Health is a partner agency of the Southwest Ohio Pathways Community HUB, which Health Care Access Now directs. Davis…

The link between mental health and transportation barriers
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The link between mental health and transportation barriers

Transportation is a major social determinant of health and health equity. It’s one of the most frequently needed of the HUB Pathways that Health Care Access Now (HCAN)’s Community Health Workers (CHWs) address with clients. The ability to access reliable, convenient, safe transportation is intertwined with mental health. It goes both ways: Mental health issues…

Transportation to medical appointments: The effect of MCO-contracted rides
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Transportation to medical appointments: The effect of MCO-contracted rides

Imagine you didn’t have access to a reliable personal vehicle, or that your monthly budget for gas had already been spent. How do you get to your doctor’s appointments? You could call a friend or family member to give you a ride—but they have jobs from which it is difficult to get time off. You…

Overcoming obstacles to establishing a medical home
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Overcoming obstacles to establishing a medical home

People who have not established a medical home often have neglected to do so because they face obstacles that can seem insurmountable.  A medical home is the central provider (or group of providers) patients use for health care. A general practitioner serves as the fundamental health advisor, but other specialists—such as a dentist, optometrist, OB-GYN,…

CHWs in the community: a medical home for everybody
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CHWs in the community: a medical home for everybody

The Community Health Workers (CHWs) of Health Care Access Now (HCAN) recently got together to talk about the challenges they face connecting clients with medical homes—and the great things that can happen once clients receive regular preventive medical care. The challenges HCAN’s CHWs provide one-on-one care to vulnerable and/or marginalized community members by helping them…

Why some HCAN clients resist medical homes
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Why some HCAN clients resist medical homes

TRIGGER WARNING: References to health data and science experiments done on Black people. A recent scene in the HBO series Insecure shows Molly rushing to the hospital to meet her family. Her mother has just had a stroke. The doctor approaches them and says it’s time to say their good-byes. The family is shocked. The…

How Community Health Workers help clients establish medical homes
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How Community Health Workers help clients establish medical homes

Health Care Access Now (HCAN)’s clients often face obstacles—like lack of childcare or transportation—that keep them from seeing doctors regularly. In other words, they don’t have a medical home.  Lynniece Scurry, Community Health Worker (CHW) for HCAN, says it’s important to help her clients find a primary care physician that can act as a medical home because…

Medical home good for everyone: preventative care is better than emergency care
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Medical home good for everyone: preventative care is better than emergency care

When a person has a “medical home,” it means they have relationships with providers for all their health needs. They can see those providers for regular tests and preventative care, as well as when they’re experiencing health issues.  Having a medical home isn’t just about establishing primary care, but also dental and vision care, OB-GYN…