Subject Area

Political Science and Government, Public Policy, Social Sciences, General/Other, Sociology

Abstract

In a country in which the government does not recognize a right to health care,social safety nets are the last hope for persons without insurance or other means to pay for needed care. In United States, community health centers, hospital emergency rooms, and private charities comprise that safety net. Community health centers offer a practicable alternative for politicians and citizens who want to help improve the lives of persons who struggle to access health care. This dissertation reviews the political history of community health centers from their founding as part of the War on Poverty in the 1960s through Democratic and Republican administrations nationally and in Texas to date. Furthermore, it reports on survey research about two questions: one is whether the Texas electorate believes that health care is a human right, and the other is how the Texas electorate views community health centers to make health care more available to those in need.

Survey results revealed strong support that health care is a human right and that community health centers are important to the health care safety net and are worth expanding. The survey results also reveal important matters about voter demographics that could drive significant changes in future elections.

Degree Date

Fall 12-21-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Department

Doctor of Liberal Studies

Advisor

Dr. Rick Halperin

Second Advisor

Dr. Rita Kirk

Third Advisor

Dr. Ashley Mag Gabbert

Number of Pages

212

Format

.pdf

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

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