Healthcare Works Best when Delivered Locally

“Here, hold my beer.”

In the social media world of Instagram, X, TikTok, or YouTube, that opening is usually followed by someone face-planting in the mud or trying to leap a picket fence. It typically leads to having their underpants hung on a picket fence with a stage 4 wedgie; left hanging and waiting for rescue.

A story that starts with “Here, hold my beer” will crash and burn at the end.

Always.

Um, mostly.

Eh, sometimes.

Mmm, usually.

Not this time?

Delivering Healthcare wherever it’s Needed

In the world of pharmacy-employed community health workers (CHWs), we recognize healthcare cannot be delivered solely in a clinic, a pharmacy, or an emergency room. To achieve health equity, especially in vulnerable populations, healthcare needs to be delivered on the street, in the neighborhood, on the porch, in the living room, or around the kitchen table. In short, wherever the people are.

If you’re a local health system or hospital, that’s hard to do. For remote health plans, insurers, or payers, it becomes impossible. How many times have call centers tried and failed to engage a plan’s clients from across the globe?

Quality Healthcare is Based on Trust

Healthcare is based on trust. Trust is based on familiarity. Familiarity is really hard to achieve in a form letter, plan contract, or anonymous call from a call center. Our pharmacists and CHWs actually interact with people in their neighborhoods.

In the fall of last year, our PharmD-led team of CHWs made scheduled home visits to provide in-home vaccinations at local public housing. Many of our patients live in public housing, are elderly or disabled, and have transportation issues.

Healthcare needs to be delivered wherever the patients are.

It was a lovely day, and our team was enjoying the neighborhood. One of the patients they planned to visit was not home. Looks like that would translate to a wasted vaccine?

No; we were actually in the neighborhood. There happened to be a group of older gentlemen seated around “The Tree,” a shady spot used for local gatherings. Here, area residents pull up a chair, stool, or milk crate, sit around and pass along local gossip, swap stories, and tell jokes. It’s where they congenially spend time, and maybe even partake in an adult beverage.

My team knew some of these gentlemen and stopped by to say hello. Beyond saying hello, the team let them know we were in the neighborhood doing home vaccination visits for shut-ins.

One of the men mentioned he needed an appointment for a vaccination. The vaccination matched why we were in the neighborhood. So we told him, “No time like the present.” He put his adult beverage on hold, got vaccinated, thanked everyone, and went on with his day, vaccinations up to date.

Community Health Workers build Trust with Patients

This patient knew and trusted our team, and allowed us to deliver healthcare directly to him.

Healthcare delivered locally is about knowing your patients, earning their trust, and meeting them not only where they live but also where the need is greatest. Nobody does that better than a community pharmacy.

Wait.

Is that a picket fence?

Here, hold my beer!