Q: What is Doctors For Change?
Doctors for Change (DFC) is an organization of health care professionals, established in early 2006, with a responsibility to address the problems of our local health care system. We serve as an educational resource for the entire community and as a forum through which you can advocate for better health care. Through meetings, committees, and special projects we hope to improve the delivery of health care to Harris County.
Q: Do you have to be a doctor to join DFC?
No. We are comprised of various types of health care professionals and individuals concerned about health care in Houston.
Q: "Change" sounds awfully political?
Actually, DFC is non-partisan and non-profit with 501c3 status. We prefer to focus on the issues rather than the politics. Unless one is entirely happy with health care in the Houston area, we need change. Think of change as improvement.
Q: Who is uninsured or underinsured in Houston?
The vast majority of the uninsured in Houston/Harris County are working people and their dependents. More than 1 million people, or 31.4% of the Houston/Harris County population have no health insurance, and an additional 500,000 are underinsured. Harris County has the highest rate of uninsured in Texas. Texas has the highest rate of uninsured in the United States. Twenty-five percent of children in Houston/Harris County are uninsured and at least 50 percent of them are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP.
Q: Are our emergency services adequate?
Hospital emergency rooms in Houston/Harris County provide significant care to non-emergent patients and are on diversion almost 25% of the time. The chances of dying double when hospitals are on diversion, regardless of ability to pay.
Q: What is the problem with health care in Harris County?
With over 1 million uninsured residents, the safety net health services in Harris County are overburdened. Access to primary care, preventative medicine, and mental health services is extremely limited, leading to poor health outcomes, high emergency room usage, and high costs.
Q: What has DFC accomplished, and what are the current projects?
Please refer to the "Projects and Special Events" page. In brief, DFC has encouraged citizens to get out the vote with Voters Guides for biennial elections. In collaboration with the Harris County Hospital District, wait times for radiology studies have been dramatically decreased. We have advocated for immunizations and have a campaign against obesity. We are spreading education to teachers for mental health awareness. We are working on improving access to care and maternal and fetal outcomes. We are educating health care providers on approaches to and interactions with PhRMA.
Q: What other organizations do you collaborate with?
To name a few, DFC has worked with include Children at Risk, Gateway to Care, the Harris County Healthcare Alliance, Houston Rescue & Restore Coalition, the National Physicians Alliance, and the March of Dimes.
Q: What can I do to help?
Join us for educational forums to learn more about the issue and its potential solutions. All community members are encouraged to bring their own ideas and energy to our meetings, where you may find collaborative partners. Support our work through participation, membership, or donations (refer to membership page). Stories are a great way to communicate! Share your stories with us (see Blog). We welcome you!