Open AccessRole of the Primary Care Safety Net in Pandemic Influenza
Author(s) -
George Rust,
Mollie Melbourne,
Benedict I. Truman,
Elvan Daniels,
Yvonne Fry-Johnson,
Thomas Curtin
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.2009.161125
Subject(s) - pandemic , safety net , surge capacity , medicine , public health , influenza pandemic , primary care , preparedness , medical emergency , health care , family medicine , environmental health , nursing , covid-19 , political science , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , pathology , law
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.