Completion of this instructional unit demonstrates comprehension of the designation of medically underserved and an emerging awareness of the vast amount of medically underserved persons in the United States.
Challenge 1 I Challenge 2 I Challenge 3 I Challenge 4
Upon completion of the challenges required for completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Explain the meaning of “medically underserved.”
- Summarize the criteria for designation as a medically underserved area or population.
- Locate medically underserved areas/populations at the state and county levels.
Challenge 1: Overview of Primary Care for Medically Underserved Areas and Populations
Shortage designation identifies an area, population, or facility experiencing a shortage of health care services. Review the HRSA Health Workforce website to learn more about shortage designations:
To achieve this challenge, answer the following questions.
Challenge 2: Search for MUA/Ps
Throughout the U.S., there are geographic areas, populations, and facilities with too few primary care, dental and mental health providers and services. Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs) and Medically Underserved Populations (MUPs) identify geographic areas and populations with a lack of access to primary care services.
Use the MUA Find tool search for MUA/Ps in your home state and county. Are you surprised by what you find?
To complete this challenge, you will use the MUA Find tool to identify underserved areas where you live.
Challenge 3: What is a Community Health Center?
To tackle this challenge, explore the HRSA Health Program website and answer questions that demonstrate your comprehension of community health center programs.
Challenge 4: The Impact of Community Health Centers
For more than 50 years, community health centers have delivered comprehensive, high-quality preventive and primary health care to patients regardless of their ability to pay. In 1965, the Health Center Program started with just two clinics—today there are nearly 1,400 health centers, which operate approximately 10,400 delivery sites, across the country serving nearly 27 million people.
These statistics provide a solid indication of the impact of community health centers; but, if you really hope to comprehend the benefit of health center programs, you need to hear from the patients who receive treatment services and the staff that care for them.
To achieve this challenge, engage in a reflection considering the importance of community health centers to serving the needs of vulnerable populations.
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