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 Although the lack of health insurance is a significant barrier to care, another critical problem affects both Virginia communities and Virginians -- the signficant and growing shortage of health care professionals.
Nearly half of Virginia communities suffer from a shortage of providers. Virginians in these areas who need health care, dental care or mental health services are given a difficult choice: travel a great distance to receive care or go without treatment.
How prevalent are these shortages? The Virginia Department of Health list of Designated Shortage and Underserved Areas in Virginia and maps of Virginia's health professional shortage areas and medically underserved areas tell the story (PDF):
Because improving access to care is a primary goal of the Virginia Health Care Foundation, VHCF is addressing the issue in a number of ways:
- VHCF grants help increase health care availability for people living in medically underserved areas.
- VHCF's Virginia Health Careers, available both in print and online, is a comprehensive guide to educate and inspire students to pursue health careers and to serve in underserved communities; and
- VHCF's Healthy Communities Loan Fund helps primary care providers in underserved areas start, expand or modernize their practices. To date, VHCF's Healthy Communities Loan Fund, in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and BB&T, has extended $9 million in low interest loans to bring more than 70 new providers to medically underserved Virginia communities.
This map shows the location of grants and loans VHCF has made in underserved areas.
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Underserved Areas Grant 
Health Communities Loan Fund
