Health care needs of medically underserved women of color: The role of the Bureau of Primary Health Care

Abstract

The Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) was developed to increase access to comprehensive primary and preventive health care and to improve the health status of medically underserved populations. Approximately 43 million Americans fall into this category, and the majority are poor, female, young, and uninsured. Under the Public Health Services Act, BPHC does not provide direct services, but rather assist local communities in identifying populations at risk of poor health outcomes and helps these communities through various programs. One of the newest initiatives of BPHC is the Office of Minority and Women's Health, developed with a mission to help reduce the disparities in the health status of women of racial and ethnic minority populations. This article outlines these disparities and discusses proposals for reducing them.