Virginia Health Care Foundation

While the lack of health insurance is a significant barrier to care, another critical problem affects Virginia communities and Virginians — the significant shortage of health, dental and behavioral health providers.

About half of Virginia communities, primarily inner cities and rural localities, do not have enough providers to care for all of those in need. In these underserved areas of Virginia, those who need health, dental or behavioral health services must go without treatment or travel long distances to get needed health services.

One way the Foundation is increasing access to care for uninsured and medically-underserved Virginians is by helping address the shortage of providers in the Commonwealth through:

• Grants to help increase health care availability for people living in underserved areas.
• Dental Access initiatives that help Virginians receive the dental care they need, but otherwise couldn’t access.
• Medication Access programs to help Virginians across the Commonwealth obtain the prescription medications they need.
• Health Insurance Initiatives that make it possible for more eligible, uninsured Virginians to enroll in the state-sponsored health insurance programs.
• Psych NP Scholarships which pay tuition and fees for nurse practitioners to obtain behavioral health training and earn a post-Master’s Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certificate.

The Virginia Health Care Foundation and its partners are dedicated to making access to health care available to all Virginians.

Last Updated on February 9, 2021