Access to healthcare and insurance was identified as the second highest health priority in Durham County in the 2017 Community Health Assessment carried over for 2020. Accessing quality healthcare is imperative to health, preventing and managing disease, and achieving health equity.  Health care is most often obtained by health insurance, leaving those without health insurance most vulnerable to negative health outcomes. Preventive care and treatment are far less expensive and less harmful than emergency care. Resources such as telehealth appointments and primary care visits are less available to those uninsured resulting in residents not receiving the healthcare they need.

There are major disparities in insured populations particularly with Hispanic and Latino residents compared to Black, Asian, and white populations. As seen in the chart below, about 38% of the Hispanic or Latino population is uninsured while about 5% of the white population is uninsured. Over the past decade, Durham consistently has a better ratio of healthcare providers per citizen compared to North Carolina and national averages.

The Partnership Access to Care committee has embarked on efforts to decrease the digital health literacy gap. They have engaged in conversations with local services addressing this issue and are strategizing ways to spread these resources more broadly. Additionally, the committee is updating the medical options brochure in English and Spanish for the use of patients and health care providers. This brochure will increase the knowledge of medical insurance and services in the community.
Medical providers such as Lincoln Community Health Center, mobile pharmacies, community health evens continue providing care to uninsured and underinsured populations.