Policy brief on diversity and underutilization of nurse practitioners: An Illinois example

摘要

Health Disparities among racial minorities cost the economy $309 billion annually (Kaiser Foundation, 2012). A component of healthcare disparities deals with lack of access to primary care providers and lack of diversity within the provider workforce. Nurse practitioners as a group of primary care providers have been extensively researched and deemed vital in addressing the issue of lack of access. Unfortunately, this group of health care providers lacks diversity. A federal government initiative created a program called the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) aimed to improve health access for racial minorities. However, the NHSC does not address diversity of the healthcare workforce serving racial minorities. This brief explores the role of the National Health Service Corp in the lack of diversity and underutilization of nurse practitioners by racial minorities and the needed actions of stakeholders to improve outcomes. Illinois is used as an example to discuss the contributions of states to health access disparity.