Healthcare Equity
“Access to necessary medical care is limited when primary care providers are scarce, each visit to a specialist requires three hours of driving, and high deductibles and other out of pocket costs consume a large share of annual income.”
– David K. Jones, PhD (2024).
Ripples of Hope in the Mississippi Delta: Charting the Health Equity Policy Agenda, pg. 227.
Examples of Barriers to Health
Geographic Accessibility: “Mississippi is the most medically underserved state in the country, and an estimated 57 percent of the state’s population lives in a community that lacks an adequate number of primary care providers. The ratio of population to primary care providers in Mississippi (1,890 to 1) is double the ratio in states with the best access, such as Massachusetts (970 to 1). Mississippi is the only state in which more than half of the population lives in health professional shortage areas.”
– David K. Jones, PhD (2024).
Ripples of Hope in the Mississippi Delta: Charting the Health Equity Policy Agenda, pg. 191.
Affordability: “Mississippi had the sixth-highest uninsured rate in the country in 2019 at 11.9 percent. This gap in coverage is driven in part by the dearth of good jobs. As a result, fewer than half of Mississippians (49 percent) receive insurance as an employment benefit, the second-lowest rate in the country.”
– David K. Jones, PhD (2024).
Ripples of Hope in the Mississippi Delta: Charting the Health Equity Policy Agenda, pg. 197.
What are examples of barriers to health in your community?
Healthcare Equity Policy Goals
#1
Expand geographic access to health professionals and hospitals.
#2
Make health care services affordable for all.
#3
Improve the quality of care so that the best and most cost-efficient services are available and include well-coordinated and risk appropriate care.
#4
Accommodate the preferences and needs of patients.
#5
Provide care that is responsive to cultural differences.
Ripples of Hope
Preventing Amputations Related to Diabetes
Dr. Fakorede and team offers angiography procedures in order to save people from having unnecessary amputations.
(See pages 215–217.)
“Take Me to Ruleville”
North Sunflower Medical Center in Ruleville and Sunflower Management Group. Healthcare leaders are working to improve the improve the patient experience and health outcomes across the county. (See page Pages 218–220.)
Telehealth
The University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson is recognized as a national leader in telehealth. Services extend across multiple services and sites throughout Mississippi, including the Delta. (See pages 221–222.)