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Access Health Adams County (AHAC)

Adams County, Illinois
Community Size: 68,227
Program Started: Access Health Adams County was incorporated in 2006.
Strategic planning efforts began prior to the incorporation of the agency.

Overview & Structure

Access Health Adams County is a Non- Profit, 501 (c)(3) organization made up of representatives from social service agencies, health care providers, mental health, media, consumers, business/industry, and the United Way.

Access Health Adams County develops, supports and coordinates programs to provide appropriate access to healthcare for individuals whose access to services is limited due to insurance status and other factors including health conditions, health literacy and social issues.

Access Health Adams County works with health and social service providers and
other community organizations to insure:

• Efficient access to applicable health and social services
• Coordination and support for effective interaction with the health system
• Availability of primary and specialist services in appropriate settings
• Expansion of employer-based insurance coverage

Programs

• Community Service Link- AHAC supports Community Service Link, a web-based software system that facilitates “no wrong door” access to social and health services in Adams County. Community Service Link is a community-wide information and client intake system that supports needs identification, service referral and enrollment, and client management, while minimizing the need for multiple client inquires and referrals. Using Community Service Link, an agency can use a single intake process to connect clients with multiple agencies’ services, including access to healthcare programs.
   
• Care Management- Care Management assists screened and referred individuals with their appropriate and effective use of the health care system. Care management services include helping individuals make appointments with their health care provider; assisting with transportation to appointments; talking to clients after appointments to help them follow their provider’s plan of treatment; providing appointment reminders; providing disease education; serving as an advocate for the client when needed; and making sure they are connected to all appropriate health and support programs.
   
• Voluntary Network of Providers- The Voluntary Network of Providers creates capacity for an ongoing provider relationship for uninsured individuals. The network builds on the capacity for care of the uninsured already provided by a number of providers, but adds a process for establishing client eligibility and ability to pay on a sliding scale, as well as a system for equitable distribution of uninsured patients.
  
  

Outcomes

The overall program goals of Access Health Adams County are:

• Improved health for the targeted Adams County population through a coordinated system of care that integrates and maximizes existing health services.
• Community receives return on investment in improved health access.

Because Access Health Adams County is so newly formed, we do not have any outcome data at this time. However, we have identified outcomes that we wish to achieve and associated baseline data:

• Increase the proportion of persons with a usual primary care provider (Baseline 14.9%, 2004 Behavior Risk Factor Survey Data)
• Increase the number of residents who have had a medical physical in the last two years (Baseline 16.2%, 1998 I-plan data)
• Decrease the percentage of adults without health insurance (Baseline 12.2%, 2003 Behavior Risk Factor Survey Data)
• Decrease the percentage of children without health insurance (Baseline 7.1%, 2000 I-plan data)
• Reduce the proportion of families that experience difficulties or delays in obtaining health care or do not receive needed care for one or more family members (Baseline needs to be collected)
• Reduce inappropriate use of health care services (Baseline needs to be collected)

Eligibility/number served

Access Health Adams County has not served any clients as the programs are currently being implemented. The project targets 17,071 residents in Adams County - the uninsured population of 6,177 people and those enrolled in Medicaid which is 10,894 people.

Financing/Costs

AHAC’s annual budget is $212,500.00, with funds coming from grant funding, donations from health care providers, volunteers and in-kind donations.

Contact Information
Cathy Meckes, Executive Director
P.O. Box 3243
Quincy, Illinois 62305
217.222.8480 (phone)
meckes@sbcglobal.net

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