Role of the Primary Care Safety Net in Pandemic Influenza

Abstract

An influenza pandemic would have a disproportionately adverse impact on minority populations, the poor, the uninsured, and those living in underserved communities. Primary care practices serving the underserved would face special challenges in an influenza pandemic. Although not a formalized system, components of the primary care safety net include federally qualified health centers, public hospital clinics, volunteer or free clinics, and some local public health units. In the event of an influenza pandemic, the primary care safety net is needed to treat vulnerable populations and to provide health care surge capacity to prevent the overwhelming of hospital emergency departments. We examined the strength, capacity, and preparedness of key components of the primary care safety net in responding to pandemic influenza.

Ebola, Zika, Corona…What Is Next for Our World?

“…Accessible and high-quality primary care is an essential component of any national or regional healthcare system that aspires to be effective, efficient, and equitable. Primary care systems are also the foundation and key drivers of pandemic related emergency response and can serve as warning barometers for emergency response mechanisms [24][25][26][27]. Therefore, the last "P" that we recommend adding to the original model is: "Primary Care"…”

“…Almost half reported that they did not follow-up on suspected cases or failed to refer suspected cases for further evaluation, diagnosis, and specialty care. Evidently, neither systems nor practitioners, were responsive enough for a multitude of reasons [24][25][26][27][28][29][30]. It is interesting to note that Professor Warren Winkelstein, who we mentioned earlier, lamented the fact that students training for future professions in health care receive training that is too narrow.…”

“…Such a narrow approach may contribute to deeper levels of knowledge and expertise in one area but limits health care providers' knowledge of the overall health care system and public health. His comments point to the need to teach future health care providers how to address the health needs of populations as well as individuals [5,27,28].…”

Stigma, Health Disparities, and the 2009 H1N1 Influenza Pandemic: How to Protect Latino Farmworkers in Future Health Emergencies

“…18,59 During the spring wave of the pandemic, community and migrant health centers helped transmit CDC public health messages and bilingual patient education materials to farmworkers aided by national groups including the Migrant Clinicians Network, the National Association of Community Health Centers, and the National Center for Farmworker Health. 60 Building on prior relationships and knowledge of the populations they serve, many of the health centers interviewed provided H1N1-specific information in multiple languages and low literacy formats. They engaged with community partners, including local health departments and radio and TV stations to communicate the risks of H1N1 to the migrant and seasonal farmworker population.…”

“…Sufficient, sustained funding for these entities will enhance national health security, as will the greater integration of Federally Qualified Health Centers with emergency preparedness efforts. 60 Federal support is especially needed in the current economic climate as states are forced to cut funding to safety net services, including farmworker programs. Moreover, farmworkers are moving into areas of the U.S. that have not yet evolved sufficient infrastructure to meet their needs.…”