Improving local health care service

Danville-Pittsylvania County is listed as a medically underserved area, according to the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. Some parts of the area also are designated as low-income population and geographic health professional shortage areas.

Dr. Michael O. Royster, director of the Office of Minority Health and Public Health Policy for the Virginia Department of Health, explains:

Population to provider ratio and travel time are factors in the shortage area designation. Medically underserved areas are designated using four criteria: poverty level, percent of the population age 65 and older, infant mortality rate and the current number of full-time primary care physicians.

The designation makes the area eligible for federal incentive programs like grants and enhanced provider reimbursements.

Attracting more practitioners plays a major role in helping these areas, but their presence doesn’t en-sure accessibility to health care services or necessarily lead to improved health outcomes.

Access to quality health care itself accounts for only 15 percent of the health status difference from those who don’t have it. The social and economic environment has the greatest influence and includes factors like income, educational opportunities, discrimination, housing, social support, transportation and even infrastructure.

Community effort

Community leaders and organizations need to evaluate factors that impact health, such as safe walking trails, community gardens for healthy foods, public transportation that increases access to providers, school policies and land-use and zoning policies.

Local partners can work together to market to the community or provide incentives such as housing, education and job opportunities to practitioners and their families.

On March 16, 2010, Dan-ville and Royster’s office will host a forum to exchange ideas on how to recruit and retain an adequate health care work force. This Rural Workforce Summit will be part of the Annual Rural Health Summit.