Shifting health care norms From the cover
Zooming in
What's happening?
health services and one in dental. “We recognize that there’s a lot of barriers in place for the community to obtain health services,” Davis said. “Being public health, our ultimate goal is to strengthen the community, improve health [and] improve access to health.”
Another option for patients are mobile clinics, which are doctors’ o ces placed in large RV-type vehicles and driven to areas where people do not have access to adequate health care, said Kalondrea Davis, who serves as the clinical health services program director at Harris County Public Health. Davis said the county’s mobile clinic program, which o ers treatment at little to no cost, began six years ago and has grown to three RVs specializing in
With the rise in health care costs and insurance, health care o cials in the Katy area said people are starting to venture out of the traditional primary care model. Those models include membership-based care, mobile clinics and community health centers, which have risen as alternatives for people living in Katy and Fulshear. Membership-based care is designed for people who want access to medical treatment at a at monthly or annual cost. Next Level Urgent Care, a membership-based care clinic, began strictly as urgent care before shifting toward the membership- based care model—called Next Level Prime. Chief Operating O cer April Gillam said beyond a ordability, patients also enjoy the after-hours and 24/7 telemedicine access. “Just like we all got used to Uber and DoorDash and Amazon, and we’ve gotten almost addicted to that easy button. People want their health care to be as easy as those radically delightful consumer experiences,” Gillam said.
Harris County Public Health mobile clinic services
Immunizations
Nutrition counseling
Wellness exams
Chronic disease and substance abuse screenings
HIV testing and STI testing
Pregnancy tests/ contraceptive options
Harris County Public Health o ers a number of services at mobile clinic sites.
SOURCE: HARRIS COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH COMMUNITY IMPACT
PHOTO COURTESY HARRIS COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH
National monthly insurance premiums
Diving deeper
$550 $500 $450 $400 $350 $300 0
sliding fee scale based on their income and the size of their household. “A community health center is a service that is available to anyone regardless of their ability to pay,” Gonzalez said. AccessHealth, which has a location in Brook- shire, also o ers a variety of services, including family medicine, women’s services, dental care and counseling with fees on a sliding scale.
Individuals can also visit community health centers such as Spring Branch Community Health Center. Its Katy location o ers family medicine, pediatric medicine and behavioral health in addi- tion to o ering cancer screenings, labs, physicals and vaccinations. Director of Strategic Partnerships Bruno Gonza- lez said that, on top of accepting private insurance, what makes a community health center stand out in the medical industry is that patients pay on a
2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 SOURCE: PETERSON KFF HEALTH SYSTEM TRACKERCOMMUNITY IMPACT
28
COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
Powered by FlippingBook