Expanding Your Reach: Using Locum Tenens to Serve Underserved Communities

If there’s one thing this country no doubt needs, it’s making sure underserved communities have access to healthcare services. 

These communities, often located in rural or economically disadvantaged areas of large cities, often have a very hard time finding healthcare. 

Here’s where locum tenens can help.

Locum tenens in underserved communities

Locum healthcare professionals, including physicians, advanced practice professionals, and others are very effective when it comes to ensuring patients in underserved communities receive adequate healthcare services. 

Nurse practitioner staffing agencies in particular can be very useful as advanced practice pros can provide outstanding healthcare services where permanent physicians, nurses and others aren’t available. 

For example, consider a rural medical office operating part-time due to staff shortages. Using locum tenens professionals could expand these operational hours, thereby providing reliable and consistent care to residents who otherwise have to travel a long way to access medical care. 

Greater reach via telehealth

Locum tenens healthcare can have a significant positive impact in underserved areas.  

Hospitals could extend their telehealth services, using technology to connect patients in underserved areas with high-quality healthcare professionals. 

Doing so not only saves patients time and long commutes but also makes sure they receive timely medical advice and information, follow-ups and even access to specialty care. 

Virtual appointments make healthcare more inclusive, helping those who have no – or very limited – access to these critical services. 

Temporary/pop-up medical clinics can keep underserved communities healthy

Temporary medical clinics set up in community centers that offer a range of services – from “basic” healthcare screenings, vaccination drives and more – can also become a center for health education/awareness. 

Placing these clinics – manned by locum tenens professionals – can help hospitals and other healthcare providers become trusted community leaders, encouraging more people to look for medical help when needed. 

Temporary specialty healthcare services can be life-saving

Nurse practitioner staffing agencies, for example, can be key to providing specialized healthcare programs for underserved communities. 

As just one example: pediatric/maternal health care can offer regular check-ups not only for expectant parents but also regular healthcare services for children (including pediatric vaccinations).  

Such temporary medical pop-ups focused on managing chronic disease and providing mental health services also can make an incredibly positive difference where this type of care is hard to come by. 

Locum tenens services in underserved areas benefits more than patients

Such initiatives extend beyond improving a community’s health: 

  • It can reduce the burden on emergency services and 
  • It will empower communities by improving a region’s health “literacy,” while also encouraging proactive/preventive healthcare. 

SUMO Staffing provides temporary physicians and advanced practice professionals such as nurse practitioners, and more.  

Learn more about how we can help underserved patients in your region access the healthcare they need – and deserve.