Statistics & Demographic Info
Consider the following statistics:
Access to Care
-
20% of Americans have limited or no access to a primary care physician. [American Academy of Family Physicians] However, 49% of Van clients have no primary care physician. From 2006-2007, the Van increased outreach to hard to reach populations by 237%.
-
15.8% of Americans lack health insurance, compared to 17.8% of Van clients that do not have coverage.
In 2003, 40% of emergency room visits in Boston were for non-emergency care. Emergency room use in general for Boston was 12% over the national average.
- A typical visit for non-emergency care in a Boston area hospital averages $976. All of the screening services and educational materials offered on the Van are free to our clients and cost us under $100 per client encounter.
Economic Burden of Chronic Disease
-
By 2023, preventive lifestyle changes -- improved weight management, nutrition, exercise, screening, and smoking cessation -- could save an annual $217 billion nationally and $24.7 billion in Massachusetts.
-
More than half of Americans are living with one or more chronic diseases.
-
These chronic diseases cost the American economy about $1 trillion annually in treatment costs and loss of economic productivity. Projections estimate that this figure could reach $6 trillion by mid-century.
-
In Massachusetts, chronic disease costs $34 billion annually in treatment and lost productivity.
Health Disparities
-
62% of American adults are either overweight or obese, whereas approximately 98% of Body Mass Index screenings on the Van are above normal. In response, in 2007, 36% of clients received nutritional counseling.
-
Overall Black Bostonians (64% of the Van’s clientele) have higher rates of deaths from heart disease and more than 70% higher rates of hypertension than White Bostonians. In 2007, 78% of Van clients were screened for hypertension.
-
18% of Americans have elevated blood sugar levels and are considered pre-diabetic. Yet of the 1,700 glucose (blood sugar) screenings conducted on the Van in 2006, 49% had elevated levels. In 2007, 44% of clients received blood sugar screenings.
- Overall Latinos (21% of the Van’s clientele) are 1.9 times and Blacks 2.0 times more likely to develop type II Diabetes than their White counterparts.
