The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #61193

Patricia M. Alt, PhD¹, Mia J. Ko, PhD, CHES², Diana Cheng, MD³, and Melissa E. Ferguson, MS¹. (1) Health Science, Towson University, 8000 York Rd., Towson, MD 21252, 410-704-4221, palt@towson.edu, (2) Department of Health Sciences, Towson University, Burdick Hall, Room 114, Towson, MD 21252-0001, (3) Medical Director, Women's Health; Center for Maternal and Child Health, Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 201 W. Preston Street, Room 317, Baltimore, MD 21201

As part of the new Women Enjoying Life Longer (WELL) Project in Eastern Baltimore County, Maryland, in-depth interviews were conducted with health services providers in a blue collar underserved area. The intent was to gather perspectives of a representative sample of intimately involved professionals in the process of building new services into an existing Title X Program under Maryland's Center for Maternal and Child Health.

This presentation describes providers' perceptions of barriers women face in seeking care; the services they believe women ignore due to a lack of usual source of care; the health priorities of the women they serve; the types of services women would use if access were improved; the mental health and self-image difficulties of the women they serve; and the additional "health-related" (broadly defined) services they felt the women needed.

Results: Services are seen as widely scattered and sometimes inaccessible due to insufficient hours; the lack of insurance coverage, transportation, and child care; or patient reluctance to seek care. Preventive services are viewed as significantly less available than acute care. Most of the providers cited mental health, domestic violence, or substance abuse as areas where women lack care. Other areas of concern included nutrition and dental care. There were distinctions among type of provider organization in recommendations for new programs, but all mentioned transportation, insurance, and access to care as key elements, and were willing to serve on a task force to improve services in the area.

Implications for public health program development will be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• By the end of this session, the learner should be able to: Describe four provider-identified barriers to underserved women utilizing health care services; articulate the potential public health interventions identified to improve access to care and delivery of health services; and analyze the effect of provider training and organizational location on those recommendations.

Keywords: Access and Services, Women's Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: I was co-Project Director for the Women Enjoying Life Longer (WELL)project funded by the U.S. DHHS HRSA Maternal and Child Health Bureau, through the Center for Maternal and Child Health of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.