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Nurse-managed health clinics (NMHCs) play a critical role in expanding access to health care for low-income, uninsured, and underserved individuals. In addition, nurse-led centers offer opportunities to educate future nurse practitioners (NPs), improve practice, and increase the primary care workforce. The authors have successfully launched 3 NMHCs using the Bridge Care model. This unique model bridges the gap between entry into the health care system and a permanent medical home. It unites the disciplines of nursing, psychology, social work, medicine, and nutrition to provide interprofessional education and health care. It is an innovative, sustainable NMHC model built on community partnerships. It is where national and local health policy meets the "real life" of individuals with limited resources.
NHMCs have existed in this country for over a century with rapid growth in the past 20 years.1,2 They are nurse-led community clinics that provide health services to primarily low-income, uninsured, and underserved populations and typically focus on primary care, health promotion, and disease prevention. According to the Institute of Medicine's (IOM's) Future of Nursing report, NMHCs have been found to expand access to care and provide quality care with improved outcomes for vulnerable populations who may not otherwise receive care.2,3 NMHCs provide critical access points for low-income, uninsured, and underserved populations with the goal to keep individuals out of emergency rooms, thereby savings millions of health care dollars.2
The Bridge Care clinic is an NMHC connected to an academic school of nursing. The Bridge Care, or transitional care, model fills the gap in health care by providing temporary health management to patients who are awaiting placement in a permanent existing medical home. With this Bridge Care model, community resources already in place are leveraged and new partnerships and coalitions are developed. Even with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicaid expansion, there continues to be a gap in health care for the low-income uninsured. Access to care is impeded with wait lists for health centers and lack of providers. Bridge Care addresses urgent health care needs of the uninsured during the transition time between initial point of entry into the health system until the patient is placed into an already existing community health system.
The health of an individual and community depends greatly on...