Safety Net Assessments

The original Urgent Matters program examined the interdependence between emergency department (ED) use and the health care safety net in 10 communities throughout the United States. One component of this program was the development of comprehensive assessments of the safety nets in each of the 10 communities that served as the focus of the study. The assessments were developed to provide information to communities about the residents who are most likely to rely on safety net services. They were designed to highlight key issues affecting access to care for uninsured and underserved residents, as well as to identify potential opportunities for improvement.

Reports

A national report, entitled Walking a Tightrope: The State of the Safety Net in 10 U.S. Communities, analyzes the findings from the 10 individual assessments and provides an overarching perspective on the issues and challenges that face the health care safety net in our country.

Walking a Tightrope: The State of the Safety Net in 10 U.S. Communities (download report)

The assessments were conducted for the following communities: