Providing care for uninsured is a matter of community

GUEST COLUMNISTS
By SAMANTHA PEARL and KATE SEGAL

During Cover the Uninsured Week on April 23-29, we are reminded of the overwhelming support the Calhoun Health Plan has received in the past year. Our mission has not been accomplished alone. Hundreds of physicians, referral partners, community collaborators, and financial partners have worked with us, hand-in-hand, to change the way the uninsured access care in our community.

The Calhoun Health Plan launched Plan B on Jan. 1, 2006, and began enrolling new members. As we began to receive feedback from our clients, we realized that the needs exceeded just basic coverage. With almost every client, there were other needs we could serve, from access to nongeneric medications and diabetic supplies to assistance connecting with other health and human service organizations. Wherever we could provide a service that helped an individual further their own basic health, we did so. Out of the recognition of this ability to serve a broader role came the crystallization of our mission, "to serve as a resource to the uninsured and underinsured residents of Calhoun County." We began by focusing our efforts in three areas: Access to primary care, access to prescription medications and access to referral and advocacy services.

Overall, our first year has been one of outstanding success. We have provided basic health care to almost 2,000 individuals, passed out over $1 million in medications and helped dozens of people connect with much-needed resources. All said, we're currently helping almost 3,000 people receive medical services they could otherwise not access. We're very proud of what we've accomplished, but most of all we're proud of the way we as a community have pulled together to ensure that those who need medical care can get it - period. Private physicians and other health professionals in Calhoun County provide a substantial amount of free medical care on a voluntary basis to patients without health insurance, both within their own practices and through volunteer health care programs. The engagement of the private practice community, paired with our existing safety net hospitals, health centers and clinics, is the foundation of building 100 percent access for all Calhoun County citizens.

As the Calhoun Health Plan prepares for the future, we're looking for opportunities to help expand access in areas where resources are scarce. These solutions will come through partnerships with the committed medical providers and community leaders who are determined to see that Calhoun County citizens - our neighbors, our friends, our families - receive the health care services they need.

Samantha Pearl is executive director of Calhoun Health Plan.

Kate Segal is president of the Calhoun Health Plan Board of Directors.

Originally published April 24, 2007
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