Fiscal Year 2025 Expanded Hours. - Since 2018, Utah has seen a 53.1% increase in the number of people residing in a health professional shortage area (Utah Department of Health & Human Services, 2024). This decrease in the number of available providers has significant implications for patients and communities as insufficient access to primary care providers is associated with a higher degree of negative health outcomes including higher rates of hospitalization, lower patient-rated quality, and higher mortality rates (Schlak, 2022). Demand for behavioral health services are just as significant as nearly half of adults and youth in Utah with mental health needs do not receive treatment or have access to services (Utah Behavioral Health Coalition , 2023). In Utah Partners for Health’s (UPFH) service area alone, 337 more providers are needed to align our population-to-provider ratio with nationally recommended levels (UDS Mappers). UPFH currently has a waiting list of over 100 patients needing behavioral health services with some patients waiting up to six months for services. Medical care appointments have a two-month waiting time, with dental patients waiting several months to complete their treatment plans. In a recent patient satisfaction survey, UPFH patients reported being unable to schedule an appointment when needed 21% of the time for medical services, 17% for dental services, and 50% for behavioral health services. Fourteen percent of respondents suggested that increasing appointment availability is the top way UPFH could improve our services. Utah Partners for Health, a federally qualified health center (FQHC), covers an area of 943 square miles, drawing patients from 43 zip codes throughout Davis, Salt Lake, Tooele, and Utah counties with 95% of patients residing in Salt Lake County. UPFH operates five sites and offers comprehensive primary care services including medical, dental, behavioral health, vision, pharmacy, care coordination, outreach and enrollment services, case management services, health education and substance use disorder treatment. Two of the five sites are mobile units that serve 45 locations including Title One schools and transitional facilities. Mobile unit services include primary care and vision. As a safety net provider, UPFH focuses on individuals who experience significant barriers in accessing quality primary healthcare including medical, dental, mental health, and vision services due to economic and social barriers. Currently 71% of UPFH’s patients are uninsured, 87% fall under 200% FPG with 54% falling under 100% FPG. Additionally, 80% of patients identify as an ethnic minority and 69% are best served in a language other than English. To address long wait times for services, we will extend clinic operating hours at our West Jordan Clinic, which includes all specialties except dental by 2 – 3 hours per week. In addition, we will restore expanded hours in our Midvale dental clinic and potentially add hours in our mobile clinics.
