preview

Essay On St. Louis Regional Health Commission

Decent Essays

St. Louis Regional Health Commission (RHC) is a network of individuals with responsibility and commitment to improve health in St. Louis. Their mission statement is to increase access to health care for people who are medically uninsured and underinsured, reduce health disparities, and improve health outcomes among populations in the St. Louis City and County region. Their primary focus is to help coordinate healthcare for low-income people who are medically uninsured and underinsured, and they also occasionally plan interesting events to help improve access to healthcare. The St. Louis Regional Health Commission is important because access to high quality healthcare is such a crucial part of every resident’s wellbeing and health, but due …show more content…

Because of the low insurance coverage and therefore low access to healthcare, the St. Louis Regional Healthcare Commission works towards breaking down barriers between the healthcare system and people of low socioeconomic status, with or without insurance. The RHC’s main form of increasing coverage is the continuation of the St. Louis Healthcare Safety Net. After the last free, public hospital in St. Louis closed in 2001, the St. Louis RHC stepped in to redirect around $30 million dollars from the federal government back into the St. Louis City and County healthcare net. Their program Gateway to Better Health is a bridge for healthcare access for low-income, uninsured residents of St. Louis, covering 40% of the uninsured residents in poverty in the St. Louis region. Their access to care is provided by 5 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) that are distributed across the city and county region. These FQHCs are state-of-the-art facilities with amazing doctors who provide a wide variety of services under one roof. The comprehensive model of FQHCs includes but is not limited to dental, WIC (women with infants and children), mental health, psychiatry, and primary care services. This comprehensive coverage all under one roof helps to reduce the transportation barrier, since patients are able to keep and meet their appointments. Additionally, FQHCs are open to all patients regardless of ability to pay or immigration status, though there are still challenges

Get Access