Hooked on Primary Care with Tyler King, DO

After graduating with a political science degree at the University of Tennessee, I joined Teach for America as a Corps member in the Rio Grande Valley. This experience solidified my decision to pursue a career in medicine.

Throughout my education, I was influenced by my family, particularly my maternal grandmother, who was politically inclined, and my maternal grandfather, a urologist. Their diverse backgrounds shaped my passion for both medicine and politics. It has been my experience over the past 3 years at Gateway Community Health Center that there is no patient population more appreciative and grateful for the care provided. The work is incredibly rewarding.

One of the significant challenges in underserved areas is the high rate of uninsured individuals. In our community, approximately 20% of the population lacks insurance coverage. Additionally, accurately accounting for the undocumented population poses difficulties. One crucial step to address health care disparities is to increase access to primary care services. Beyond primary care and residency programs, addressing health care disparities necessitates a multifaceted approach. There should be an emphasis on the need to improve access to specialty care, enhance culturally relevant health care, foster trust, encourage partnerships, strengthen community engagement and enhance overall health care access and affordability.

Tyler King, DO
Osteopathic family medicine physician
American Osteopathic Association