To start off our trip, the Urban Health Scholars
first went to visit the William F. Ryan Community Health Center on the Upper
West Side. As one of four sites for the Ryan Health Network, one of the oldest
health organizations in the country, this Federally Qualified Health Center was a great way to
start immersing ourselves in urban health models at the primary care level. We
were fortunate enough to get the chance to meet with Dr. Daniel Baxter, the
Chief Medical Officer at the Ryan Center. Dr. Baxter took us on a tour of the
35,000 square foot facility, which included an adult medicine walk-in clinic,
specialty services such as ophthalmology and podiatry, radiology, and the Women’s
and Children’s Center.
In addition to showing us around, Dr. Baxter led us
in a very candid discussion about health reform issues specific to urban
populations. For example, while there is a huge population of medically
underserved individuals in an urban system, there is still a lot of competition
amongst providers for necessary resources and services to allow them to keep
their doors open. When asked about the future direction of the Ryan Health
Network, Dr. Baxter described a path in which the Network will try to balance
the fine line of expanding to provide as much health care as possible while
still maintaining a high quality of care at each of their sites. As one of the
largest health organizations in
New York City, this was certainly a great way to start off our trip and to get
all of the scholars excited about the possibilities of working in an urban
health care environment!
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