Access partners with Exact Sciences on their FOCUS Program, which aims to enhance colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates in under resourced areas. Access was one of three recipients in Wisconsin and increased colorectal cancer screening rates by 9 percent in an 18-month period.
Scenic Bluffs has received a $50,000 Mayo Clinic Launch Grant to support Scenic Smiles, our Mobile Dental Unit! Hitting the road this spring, Scenic Smiles will bring vital dental care directly to neighborhoods across western Wisconsin—helping to reduce barriers like transportation and time away from work or school and increase overall health outcomes.
The NorthLakes Community Clinic is announcing it has established a permanent fund with the Eau Claire Community Foundation.
According to a press release from NorthLakes Community Clinic, the NorthLakes Community Clinic Fund will provide seed funding to explore evidence-based interventions through pilot programs and sustain patient support services.
“Our fund aims to connect patients with clinical services, resources, and support. It will provide funding to expand existing patient programs and new initiatives focusing on integrated care, including the social drivers of health that contribute to well-being,” Ana Tochterman, NorthLakes Community Clinic CEO, said.
Medicaid dollars keep clinics, nursing homes, and businesses that provide in-home care open. Especially in rural areas, Medicaid funding is the difference between having care options or having closures.
“Medicaid dollars keep clinics and nursing homes open and is a key driver in our rural community,” said Kim Hawthorne, CEO, Scenic Bluffs Community Health Centers, based out of Cashton, Wisconsin. “Especially in rural areas, Medicaid funding is the difference between having care options or having closures. At Scenic Bluffs, nearly 45% of our patients rely on Medicaid as the payer for their care—many of whom would be uninsured or unable to afford necessary services without it. Statewide, Medicaid revenue accounts for about half of overall revenue at Community Health Centers which rely on the program for sustainability and patient care – including preventative medical, dental, and behavioral health services.”
“Community home care businesses are the care infrastructure for communities. They serve all residents, including those who aren’t in a Medicaid program,” said Patti Becker, member of InControl Board of Directors. “Wisconsin’s system is already struggling to meet the needs. If businesses close or scale down their services, it means less health and long-term care capacity for everyone.”
“When you don’t have health insurance, what do you do? You forgo necessary treatment. You put things on hold. You don’t access your preventive care,” says Patricia Sarvela, chief development officer at Partnership Community Health Center in Wisconsin’s Fox Valley.
Instead, patients may end up going to a hospital emergency room, “or having a preventable hospitalization and ultimately ending up with poor health outcomes,” she adds. “And when people are sick and not well, they don’t thrive in school, in their job, in life.”
Partnership Community Health has clinics in Winnebago, Outagamie and Waupaca counties. In addition to primary care, including pediatric care, the organization offers dental care and treatment for mental health and substance abuse.
It’s one of 19 community health center organizations in Wisconsin, operating in 60 locations across the state. The centers provide health care free or on a sliding scale for people without insurance with incomes up to 200% of the federal poverty guideline. The centers also have patients enrolled in BadgerCare Plus, Wisconsin’s Medicaid program for primary health care.