A new not-for-profit organization created by federally qualified health centers (FQHC) and hospitals in Lake County hopes to make medical care more accessible to the 46,000 people without health insurance in the county.
Access Lake inaugurated operations at the initial meeting of its board of directors Wednesday at the offices of the Lake County health department in Waukegan with the goal of providing affordable specialty and hospital care to uninsured residents of the county.
Mark Pfister, the health department’s executive director and one of the members of Access Lake, said the organization will work together to coordinate the needed care for an individual, including seeing a specialist and hospitalization.
Pfister said once there is a diagnosis of a disease or condition by an individual’s primary care physician, the patient may need to see a specialized doctor or be hospitalized. When there is no insurance, that can become problematic.
“If a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, how do we get her specialty care and hospitalization in a coordinated way?” Pfister said. “We want to create a clear line, from primary care to specialty care and surgery, if necessary.”
Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart, D-Lake Bluff, said residents who often substitute the emergency department of hospitals for a visit to the doctor’s office, only when a situation becomes acute, will no longer have to do so.
“This is a great day for uninsured, low-income residents to have access to specialty health care providers,” Hart said. “Access Lake will increase access to specialty health care services for these residents who otherwise struggle to obtain a specialist to treat their diagnosed health issue, and to receive appropriate care.”
Joining the health department in the effort are Erie Family Health Center, Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, NorthShore Highland Park Hospital, Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington and City of Hope Chicago, formerly known as Cancer Treatment Centers of America.
Not done seeking partners, Pfister said Vista Health System — which operates Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan — will join in the near future. Access Lake plans to soon reach out to specialty practices, like Illinois Bone & Joint Institute.
Dr. Lee Francis, Erie’s president and CEO, said there a variety of medical specialties Access Lake intends to add. Along with oncology and orthopedic care, he said dentistry, gastrointestinal doctors and endocrinologists are among the potential specialists to include.
“This way, we can deal with the problem at the beginning, before it ends up in an emergency situation,” Francis said.
Modeled after Access DuPage, which has operated in DuPage County for 20 years, Pfister said knowing what was done southwest of Lake County will provide guidance on how to proceed.
Kara Murphy, the president of the DuPage Health Coalition who was at the news conference where Access Lake County’s creation was announced publicly, said treatment still start with a primary care physician, whether through a FQAC or private doctor.
“The first thing a person should do is develop a relationship with a primary care physician,” Murphy said. “They should not be afraid. Begin with help there. They will make the calls and connections.”
