• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Doctors for Change

Rebuilding a Healthier Houston Together

  • Who We Are
    • Mission & Vision
    • Leadership
  • Our Committees
    • Access to Care
    • Anti-Human Trafficking
    • Healthy Eating & Active Living
    • Immigrant and Refugee Health
    • Mental Health
    • Queer Health
    • Student Chapters
  • Advocacy
    • Share Your Story!
    • DFC 2019 Policy Priorities
    • 2019 Austin Advocacy Days
  • Get Involved
    • Join a Committee
    • Become a DFC Member
    • Volunteer with DFC
  • Resources
    • DFC Newsletter Archive
    • COVID-19 Resources for Medical/Healthcare Providers
    • Continuing Medical Education (CME) Opportunity
    • A Step-by-Step Guide for Integrating Social Determinants of Health into Your Practice (Credit to HCPH)
    • DFC Guide (under maintenance)
  • Donate #ForChange
    • 2019 Luncheon Sponsors
    • Silent Auction Sponsors
  • Become a Member
    • My Account
    • Sign In
    • Sign Out
  • DFC Blog
  • Calendar
  • Contact Us
  • FREE MAT WAIVER TRAINING

Access to Care

Committee Leader:

Seeking Chair – Contact Us!

To learn more or contribute, please contact the committee leader(s) via email:

Contact Leader(s)

Unacceptable Reality

Many Texans are without access to basic health care services.

In 2015, 17% of Texans and 19.6% of Houstonians were uninsured, compared to the national average of 10%. Despite recent progress, Texas remains the state with the highest percentage of uninsured residents and, for the first time, Texas now has the largest number of uninsured residents. As of March 2015, the lowest income Texans are almost four times more likely to be uninsured than higher income individuals.

Access to care is a complex problem that includes insurance coverage, transportation, language barriers, social determinants of health, and more.

Committee Goal

Doctors for Change is uniquely qualified to advocate with our patients to improve access to care for uninsured and underinsured patients. We do this through educating health care professionals on community resources, developing partnerships between existing organizations working towards improving access, and supporting legislation that promotes improving access to care. This past year, the Access to Care committee has been working hard to raise awareness about the need for increased access to care for uninsured and underinsured Texans.

Advocacy Priorities

  • Continue to work towards increasing access to care by supporting innovative methods such as telemedicine and school-based health centers.
  • Educate legislators, healthcare professionals and the community about the need for increased access to care for uninsured Texans.
  • Support expanding the healthcare workforce in Texas.
  • Promote access to mental health care services.
  • Promote increasing use of Community Health Workers.

Recent & Current Projects

  • Conducting community educational forums about the unmet health needs present in Texas.
  • Compiling patient stories that described difficulties faced by real patients when trying to access care.
  • Organizing “Doc Days,” a community education event at local Houston public libraries, that aimed to raise awareness about diseases like diabetes, how to eat and live healthy, and how to access health care.
  • Conducted a “County Judge Survey” in 2016 that had a 35% response rate. The results of the survey helped identify unmet needs in all 254 Texas counties and helped formulate policy solutions.
  • Partnered with medical students and residents to write a policy brief and an op-ed that increased awareness about the problem of access to care in Texas and solutions.
  • During this 85th Texas legislature, the committee’s policy priorities focused on supporting bipartisan solutions to increasing access to care, such as telemedicine and school-based health centers. The solutions were well-received and led to the passage of bills such as SB 1107.

Primary Sidebar

Newsletter

Calendar

January 23, 2021
  • The 8th Annual Out for Health Conference will be hosted by McGovern Medical School

    When: January 23, 2021 - 7:45 am to 5:00 pm


    Full details:

    https://med.uth.edu/blog/2021/01/06/mcgovern-to-host-out-for-health-conference/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Scoop_December-17-2020 

    The 8th Annual Out for Health Conference will be hosted by McGovern Medical School from 7:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 23 via Cisco Webex.

    Out for Health is a medical conference founded and organized by students across all Texas medical schools in order to address the needs of the LGBTQIA+ population. The conference creates spaces for students, faculty, and community members to come together and discuss challenges faced by these patients. The event unites students and health professionals across disciplines to learn how to provide more inclusive health care.

    The theme of the 2021 conference is “intersectionality,” recognizing the marginalization of minority groups within the LGBTQIA+ community. By drawing parallels between the current Black Lives Matter movement and the queer liberation movement of the 1960s, and between the current COVID-19 pandemic and the AIDS epidemic, the conference strives to empower the healthcare field to identify and fight systemic discrimination on all levels.

    This year, Earl Fowlkes, chairman of the LGBT Caucus at the Democratic National Committee, will deliver the keynote speech titled “Out of the Shadows: The Intersectionality of Black LGBTQ+ Physical and Mental Health.”

    For more information, or to register for Out for Health 2021, visit the event’s website or contact [email protected].

January 26, 2021
  • AHT Forum

    When: January 26, 2021 - 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm


    Full details:

    Please register for Hidden in Plain Sight: Identification and Healthcare Needs of Forced Laborers in the United States:  on Jan 26, 2021 6:00 PM CST at:

    https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2536000891899715342

    After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

February 10, 2021
  • DFC Board Meeting

    When: February 10, 2021 - 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

    Where: Children At Risk, 2900 Weslayan St #400, Houston, TX 77027, USA


    Full details:

    Quarterly meeting for DFC Board Members.

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

DFC Membership

Sign in
  • Sitemap
  • Careers
  • Contact

Copyright © 2021 · Doctors for Change on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in