Utilization of services at a neighborhood health center

Services received during 1968 by 1,989 children of 521 families registered over a 5-month period at a neighborhood health center have been examined. Eighty-seven percent received at least one professional service. Seventy percent of the children were seen by a pediatrician; most children received services from at least two types of personnel, the commonest combination being pediatrician and dentist. Once families were registered, variables such as race, Aid to Families with Dependent Children status, residence, family size, and education of mother had only a minor effect on utilization of services at the health center. The child's age markedly influenced utilization rates, a greater proportion of preschool children than adolescents coming for attention and attending more often. Visits to physicians and dentists were higher than national norms for corresponding ethnic and socioeconomic groups. We conclude that the response of residents to the health center has been favorable and that the easy accessibility, reachingout philosophy, and genuine concern of the staff has had its effect. Although many of our patients use a combination of resources to obtain medical care, the Martha Eliot Center appears to have become the primary unit for child care in a large section of the population served.