By Christopher Perrone, California Health Care Foundation, April 30, 2021
Because of the barriers to care caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and other health care providers in California were granted unprecedented flexibility by federal and state policymakers to use telehealth to care for their patients. These changes have been instrumental in maintaining access to care over the past year and contributed to a steep reduction in patient no-show rates at FQHCs.
One person who benefited from these changes is Kevin Shoop, a patient at Northeast Valley Health Corporation’s Transition to Wellness Clinic in Los Angeles County. A few years ago, Shoop suffered a heart attack, and while hospitalized, was evicted and became homeless. He also was diagnosed with hypertension and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
Shoop faced many barriers to care, and those challenges were exacerbated when COVID-19 created new obstacles to in-person care. During the pandemic, however, Shoop has been able to receive care through telephone visits with his primary care provider, Dr. Derek Cheung.
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