The Carolinas Healthcare System (CHS) Department of Family Medicine in partnership with The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) Geography Department have initiated a primary-care practice-based research network (PBRN) bringing together primary care physicians, local academic centers, and community organizations to study healthcare delivery to the burgeoning Hispanic population in Charlotte, North Carolina. CHS has created six primary care ambulatory clinics that serve as teaching centers and as "safety-net" practices for disadvantaged patients within the community. Despite many similarities between the clinics, including a shared informatics system, no research network currently exists. Creation of the proposed PBRN would allow the participating primary care providers to evaluate the community they serve, determine disparities in healthcare access and delivery, and to elucidate the impact of current services on the community. In addition, the PBRN brings together two academic institutions with prior experience implementing the community-oriented primary care model and the use of Geographic Information Systems tools for evaluating communities and understanding health care access.