Removing Barriers to Care for People with Physical Disabilities

People with physical disabilities make up approximately 11% of New York City’s population, but they often lack access to adequate primary care.

Evidence shows that a high proportion of primary care providers lack the training and experience to care for people with physical disabilities. Such obstacles can lead to missed routine preventive screenings and physical exams, resulting in high rates of hospitalizations, delayed diagnosis, improper treatment, and even premature death. To address this gap in health care for people with physical disabilities, NYHealth awarded a grant to Independence Care System (ICS) to design a step-by-step guide that primary care providers can use to lower barriers to primary care for adults with physical disabilities and functional limitations.