Health Equity
Data Analytics
& Visualization

Language barriers between healthcare providers and patients can negatively impact healthcare delivery and outcomes.

The Health Center Program Uniform Data System (UDS) is maintained by Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and includes data reported by Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). UDS is comprised of patient demographics, health services, quality of care, financial performance, health information technology, and health center staffing. Within demographics, language preference is collected from patients receiving services at these health centers. The content below summarizes information about FQHC patients best served in a language other than English.

Patients Best Served in a Language Other Than English by State (2023)

Click image to enlarge

National Percent of FQHC Patients Best Served in Language Other than English by Rural/Urban (2018-2023)

Click image to enlarge

  • The percent of FQHC patients who are best served in a language other than English varies by state with the highest percentages in Utah, Massachusetts, and Delaware.
  • The percent of urban health center patients best served in a language other than English was more than twice that of rural centers from 2018 to 2023 and has increased 16% between 2018 and 2023.

FQHCs in Iowa (2023)

 

Click image to enlarge

Patients Best Served in a Language Other than English by Iowa FQHC (2023)

Click image to enlarge

  • Bubble size represents the volume of patients served in each FQHC for Iowa (larger = more patients). The bubble color corresponds to the information in the adjacent table.
  • In Iowa, the percent of health center patients best served in a language other than English ranges from 94.6% to 0.5%.
  • Half of the centers in Iowa provide care to a population where 20% or more of their patients are best served in a language other than English.

Insurance coverage ensures quality health care is more accessible and affordable for individuals, families and their communities.

The Environmental Justice Index (EJI) is a CDC geography-based tool used to identify areas most at risk for experiencing negative health outcomes based on where an individual lives. It consists of separate modules focused on Social Vulnerability, Environmental Burden, and Health Vulnerability. The content below summarizes information about Lack of Health Insurance (an indicator within Social Vulnerability) among health center patients in the state of Iowa.

Click image to enlarge

County-Level* Environmental Justice Index (EJI) – 2022

*EJI indicators are available at the census tract level. The median value of the census tract percentiles in each county was computed and used to obtain the national and state percentiles.

Lack of Health Insurance by Iowa County

Click image to enlarge

  • The map on the left is based on national percentiles. Lack of health insurance is relatively low (lighter blue) in Iowa counties when considering insurance coverage in all counties in the US.
  • Conversely, the map on the right is based on state percentiles for Iowa and highlights a different perspective. It shows variability within Iowa, identifying counties where lack of health insurance is higher (darker blue) or lower (lighter blue) among counties in Iowa.
<- Return to Health Equity page

Don't see what you're looking for? Contact a Health Equity Solutions expert today!

Click Here