Marion County

Low Income Primary Care Access

Summary of Information:

Low Income Population: 6,072 (at or below 200% FPL, 1998)

Total practicing primary care physicians: 1

Regular full time equivalency: .9

Full time equivalents serving the low-income population: .5

Ratio of low-income population to low-income FTE: 12,144:1

Considered a shortage of providers: Yes. Marion County is currently

designated as a Primary Care HPSA.

Physicians accepting new patients: 100%

Physicians accepting new patients who have Medicaid coverage: 100%

Physicians who can provide interpretation for non-English speaking patients: 0%

Languages interpreted: NA

What are the barriers to health care for people in your county?

“Transportation. We are not a free clinic and there are indigent patients here. Our county has received tobacco money for the indigent.”

Are there additional barriers for the low-income population?

No response.

Community Input:

This county has no hospitals, but does have a Good Shepherd Rural Health Clinic, with one family care practitioner. No obstetrics or gynecology services are available, and residents must travel out of county for wellness care, prenatal, and birthing.

There is a desperate need for indigent dental care. There is a lack of information on Children’s Health Insurance Program enrollment and it is a challenge to find CHIP providers. There is a lack of mental health/mental retardation screening/eligibility/referral systems, and a lack of patient use of special needs childrens’ programs.

Finally, it is a long distance to trauma services.

Prepared by Community Health Provider Resources, Texas Department of Health, as part of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation East Texas Rural Access Program; Spring 2001