Hagerstown health care forum focuses on access to care in Western Maryland

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (DC News Now) — Health care experts met at Hagerstown Community College on Tuesday to better explore ways to reach those who feel most disenfranchised by the system.

Providers hoped to address access to care in rural western Maryland.

Some people find the healthcare experience so intimidating that they avoid seeking care altogether — that is why this roundtable sought solutions to all the frustration.

“There’s food insecurity, transportation and other barriers, so it’s not just the things that happen in the doctor’s office,” said Kimberly Harris, community health director for CareFirst.

These experts are taking an innovative approach to help the disenfranchised.

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“We have a team of dedicated community health workers that do cold calls to those patients and try to keep them engaged in care,” said Corey Edmonds with Mt. Laurel Medical Center in Oakland, Md.

Tuesday’s consensus? Make access to health care hassle-free.

“Patients ask if their native language is spoken in the doctor’s office,” said David Shuster, president and CEO of Horizon Goodwill Industries in Hagerstown. “Many things get in the way, and for folks in that situation they just throw their hands up in the air and say ‘I’m just not going to deal with this.'”

That leads to urgent care and emergency care which Shuster said “is far more expensive than preventive care.”

“We need to address these low-income families and the immigrant population,” said Mike Rapach with CareFirst. “How can we do that together?”

“We have to be sure people can get primary care and behavioral and mental health as well as dental care,” said Harris.

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