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2007 COMMUNITY HEALTH DATA ANALYSIS Cape Girardeau County fares much better with physician, dentist and Registered Nurse ratio than the state. Ratio’s: (Cape Girardeau County/State) We have identified through a mapping and local assessment with United Way and multiple other stakeholders that transportation continues to be a major barrier to accessing health care. However this is slowly improving with the County Commissioners recently establishing a Transportation Authority. The commissioners, especially the presiding commissioner, are serious about improving this barrier to health care as well as other needed services (grocery shopping, etc). We feel there are close to if not adequate number of primary health care providers (including those who will take Medicaid) in our community with an FQHC, our own Pediatric Primary Care RHC (established for Medicaid). Our community is desperately lacking dental services for our Medicaid and low income families. The FQHC has one dentist in our county, and a call placed to Cross Trails Medical Center in March 2005 reveals they are no longer taking patients! No private practice dentists in Cape Girardeau County accept Medicaid. If people cannot afford to pay cash or have insurance they simply cannot access dental care. Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center receives donations the general public and occasionally there’s enough to assist someone with a dental emergency (abscess tooth etc) but this is not a large amount of money and not always available. Mental Health Care is somewhat better off, but still deficient in numbers of mental health physicians. There is a sliding scale mental health clinic in the community, but it seems rather expensive to us and people trying to access it. Emergency services, inpatient acute care and skilled long-term care are adequate as well as accessible. For individuals needing sight and hearing impaired resources we have SADI. We're fortunate to have enhanced 911 services in Cape Girardeau County, and enjoy two hospitals each with specialized services that compliment each other (Heart surgery, pain clinics, Hepatitis C clinics, etc.). Additionally, we have 9 skilled–care long–term facilities and 15 residential care facilities. There are several Home Health Agencies (including one for each hospital) and two agencies, Cape Girardeau County Public Health being one that provides reproductive health services. Unfortunately, state funding for our Comprehensive Women's Health program was cut by the legislature two years ago, so we were forced to scale down our program. Accessing medical care for low income as well as Medicaid participants is somewhat easier now than three years ago, but still a problem. This may be more of an educational issue to the public. Cross Trails Medical Center is an FQHC we wrote the Federal grant for several years ago, and of course we have our Pediatric Primary Care Clinic for Medicaid families. Southeast Hospital participates in this clinic by providing Pediatric Hospitalists one day per week. Most OB/GYN physicians accept Medicaid. Our Health Department issues the TEMP Card (temporary Medicaid). In Cape Girardeau County, the percent of population on Medicaid (2004) and Medicare (2002) is 15.6% and 16.2% respectively. Our percent of population without health insurance (2003) is 11.6%. All three are lower than the state. |
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