
"I think there’s a lot of walls up for one reason or another when it comes to caring for patients, and so much of the medical field is built on trust. "Being white males in a neighborhood predominantly filled with people of color, I think it helps to step in and build a bridge to the barrier that’s there," McKinney said. That trust is why doctors Benjamin McKinney and Garrett Schwab live in the neighborhood they serve. They can include income, access to health insurance and even a patient’s trust in the medical system.
#Dallas fair park beyond the time barrier code#
But residents on the east side of I-35W see the interstate as a divide between them and the healthcare services on the other side.įor the more than 1,118 households in the ZIP code without cars, getting to the Medical District is difficult, particularly for those who live on the east side of the interstate.īarriers extend beyond transportation. The hospitals in Fort Worth’s Medical District, which are in the 76104 ZIP code told the Star-Telegram they don’t have clinics in Historic Southside, Hillside or Morningside because the hospitals are close to the neighborhoods. "We saw that where there was concentrated poverty, there was also a lack of medical resources." "We wanted to see what the need was in Dallas, and we did a lot of research to understand where the city is divided," Dr. Of those with insurance, more than 50% use public insurance. Just over 1,800 people of the ZIP code’s 15,000 residents are without insurance, according to the U.S. To break another transportation barrier, the clinic has a small pharmacy inside. The CitySquare Clinic, on Al Lipscomb Way near Fair Park, is within walking distance of a post office, a Family Dollar, a salad restaurant and a produce store – businesses and services that are lacking in Historic Southside, Hillside and Morningside. The clinic was opened the year before the study concluded, so it’s difficult to measure the effect the clinic has had on life expectancy, but the doctors who work there see the value in what they do.Īnd, they’re "more than just doctors," Garcia said. 1 cause of death was heart disease, which can be linked to factors such as poverty, lack of access to health care and insurance, poor availability of healthy foods, lack of exercise and pollution.īut there is a difference in Dallas’ 75215 ZIP code: Residents have a clinic in their neighborhood, where doctors know their names and the struggles they face. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram analyzed the records of 396 deaths in the ZIP code that were investigated by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s office between 20 – the time frame of the UT Southwestern study. The 76104 ZIP code has the lowest life expectancy in Texas at 66.7 years. The neighborhood is similar to those in Fort Worth’s 76104 ZIP code, including Historic Southside, Hillside and Morningside. The Dallas clinic is in the 75215 ZIP code, where residents have one of the lowest life expectancy rates in the state at 67.6 years, according to a UT Southwestern study. They’ve visited barbershops to spread the word about their clinic and have partnered with faith leaders in an attempt to build a bridge of trust that health experts say is often missing between doctors and communities of color. Instead of the typical 15-minute visit, they see their patients for at least 30 minutes at a time, and live in the same neighborhood as most of them. The two doctors who work at The Baylor Scott and White CitySquare Clinic make it a point to build relationships with their patients. "They’ve been real good to me, real nice." "They helped with my medicines and some sicknesses," Garcia said as he waited to be seen at the south Dallas clinic. The 61-year-old considers his doctor a friend – in addition to someone who cares about his health and whom he trusts to treat him well. He looked at ease even though he was at the doctor’s office. They saw poverty and sickness, so these doctors moved into the neighborhoodĭALLAS – Robert Garcia sat on an examination table, his hands in his lap with his fingers laced together.
