Sept. 8, 2020
Every day more than 200 people move to Dallas County. In the Vickery Meadow neighborhood, located in the northeast section of Dallas, the uninsured population is expected to increase by 10% over the next ten years. Parkland’s Vickery Health Center provides healthcare services for Vickery Meadow’s most vulnerable residents and aims to meet the demands of the growing population by relocating from space in a small shopping center to a multistory, standalone building in the neighborhood.
As the population outpaces the size of the current clinic, an increasing number of patients are seeking primary care in Parkland’s emergency department – one of the busiest in the United States. By expanding the size and services offered at Vickery Health Center, 27 patients could be treated at the community health center for the cost of one in the hospital.
Parkland patients often confront unique barriers when seeking care including lack of childcare, transportation and language barriers. For Vickery Meadow residents, this is compounded by the fact that 25.3% live below the poverty line, double the rate of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area.
“Many of our patients have to carefully decide between going into work to support their families or missing pay to attend their medical appointments,” said James Perez, community-oriented primary care operations administrator at Parkland. “It’s the cost of time.”
“We help combat those barriers to care by ensuring the health center remains within walking distance of public transit and providing telehealth options for our patients.”
In addition to the physical space, shared medical appointments and virtual visits provided through the Vickery Health Center allow healthcare providers to reach more residents in need while empowering patients to take an active role in their healthcare.
Vickery Meadow has a shortage of primary care services for its 40,000 residents and is a designated medically underserved area. Increasing the size of the Vickery Health Center will allow for the expansion of women’s health, behavioral health and refugee services, bringing primary care and specialty clinics to the densely populated area.
Providing our most vulnerable neighbors access to the healthcare they need is critical. You have the opportunity to help ensure everyone in Dallas County has access to quality primary and preventive care by making a gift today. Give to support the Vickery Health Center expansion at www.IStandforParkland.org/VickeryCenter.