UCI Health Family Health Center a critical resource in communities with care access challenges
Care given to all, regardless of ability to pay
IN THE NEWS: Access to affordable, comprehensive and whole-person primary care is key to improving the health of communities throughout Orange County.
Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), including UCI Health Family Health Center with locations in Anaheim and Santa Ana, help communities access medical, dental and behavioral health services that might otherwise be challenging, regardless of their insurance coverage or ability to pay.
Dr. Shane Jones, a UCI Health family medicine physician who practices at both locations family health center, was recently featured in a University of California Health story about the important role these centers play in supporting California’s healthcare safety net. They provide care for a variety of people, many of whom balance healthcare visits with work schedules, have little or no health insurance or receive their medical benefits from Medi-Cal.
“I help give my patients the know-how and access to the resources they need to take the power over their own healthcare. Providing them with this agency helps them take responsibility for their own health.”
He also spoke about how his patients benefit from access to a variety of care and resources within a robust academic health care system.
“You don’t get that kind of access in other places. When we’re stuck, there’s always something I can do or a specialist I can contact to help. It’s the best of both worlds.”
Lastly, Jones discussed how FQHCs help to build trust in the communities that they serve. He shared a story about meeting a young couple where the woman didn’t know she was pregnant. He followed this patient throughout her pregnancy, delivered her baby and is now the primary care doctor for the entire family.
“Because I understand the culture of the community where I work, I’ve been able to help this family overcome a general mistrust of medicine and have established an ongoing relationship and a rapport that they can trust.”
Jones is also an assistant professor of family medicine at the UC Irvine School of Medicine.
About UCI Health
UCI Health, one of California’s largest academic health systems, is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. The 1,317-bed system comprises its main campus UCI Medical Center, its flagship hospital in Orange, Calif., the UCI Health — Irvine medical campus, four hospitals and affiliated physicians of the UCI Health Community Network in Orange and Los Angeles counties and a network of ambulatory care centers across the region. UCI Medical Center provides tertiary and quaternary care and is home to the only Orange County-based National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, gold level 1 geriatric emergency department and regional burn center. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves nearly 5.7 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).