NSG 6435 |NSG6435 Pediatric Week 1 discussion – South University

conventional pediatricians office or a primary care doctors office. In the rural setting there are often clinics that provide primary care in community clinics, health departments, schools, and in some cases the emergency departments. Goals in pediatric health increase not only the overall proportions of pediatric patients who have ongoing care from a primary care provider but also increase the proportion of patients with healthcare insurance. It has been shown that in California, Georgia, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Tennessee there is less availability of pediatric providers in these states (Olsen, 2015). This study goes on to explain that drive time, wait time, and insurance are all factors that affect healthcare among pediatric patients. Overall, children who have Medicaid have less access to their pediatrician than children who were privately insured (Olsen, 2015). To help address the needs of the primary care field, in 2010, the United States invested $250 million from the Affordable Care Acts Prevention and Public Health fund in primary care and professional training. As of 2010, there were approximately 210, 000 primary care physicians, 56,000 nurse practitioners, and 30,000 physician assistants dedicated to the primary care field (Primary Care Workforce Facts and Stats, 2014). Overall, there is a growing number of pediatric patients and there are not enough primary care/pediatric offices to handle well-child and sick visits. Therefore, many times this rolls over to the emergency departments and the urgent cares. Are there certain pediatric populations that lack access to health-care services? Why?