The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly affected healthcare delivery across the United States, particularly in underserved communities where health disparities posed significant challenges for patients and providers. This project aims to document and analyze the experiences of family medicine practitioners and healthcare workers in an underserved urban community during the COVID-19 pandemic. The geographic segregation of social determinants of health in Bexar County, San Antonio, Texas, has long been established. The zip code 78207 is a prime example of this issue, which was highlighted during the pandemic. Limited access to resources, heightened health disparities, and other socioeconomic factors exacerbated the crisis in this area, also placing emotional and physical strain on the providers. Family medicine practitioners, often at the forefront of primary care, had to adapt quickly and effectively to continue providing essential services. 

Project authored by:  Alexis Ramos, MD, Andrea Soto, MD, Corynne McEachern, DO, Avery Roman, Estrella Garza, Sarah-Esther Sarabia

This project is supported by the AAFP Foundation and the Center for the History of Family Medicine through the 2025 Oral History Research Grant.