Lack of access to care hurts rural populations' health: Federally qualified health centers offer a solution

Abstract

The objective of this thesis is to investigate the effectiveness of implementing more Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) into rural areas to improve existing health disparities. Three benefits of FQHCs were analyzed: their impact on improving access to healthcare and reducing health disparities, their economic impact on patients, local healthcare systems, and the national healthcare system, as well as their ability to work with and improve already existing healthcare infrastructure in rural areas. FQHCs provide primary medical care, dental care, health screenings, immunizations, prenatal and obstetrics specialty care, and mental health services-- all services that are lacking in rural areas, which leads to poorer health outcomes. The data analyzed in this paper shows the benefits of FQHCs in reducing rural health disparities and improving the cost effectiveness of healthcare. The findings showed FQHCs bring a high level of quality healthcare at an affordable price to rural settings and can play a significant role in reducing rural health disparities.