Troubled by health disparities? So are we. Believing that communities thrive when ALL can work and care for their families, our initiatives keep people healthy, regardless of the ability to pay.
Since 2001, our Access DuPage program has cared for 61,000+ uninsured individuals through an expansive volunteer network. Members pay low copayments and every dollar in program cost is matched by 10+ in donated care. DuPage residents with income below 2X the Federal Poverty Level, ineligible for any other program, enrollees are typically working parents. Proactively managing their health, they visit the ER 36% less than uninsured peers.
Even after the Affordable Care Act, many remain underinsured. To respond, we launched Silver Access ACA Premium Assistance, giving access to high-quality lower cost plans. Honoring our fair share philosophy by asking members to contribute up to their capacity, they pay one-third of the cost. DuPage Dispensary of Hope, a free pharmacy, is the only existing local resource. Most uninsured pay the full cost of Rx’s, often going without or taking it differently than prescribed to reduce costs. This leads to unnecessary hospital admissions, illness, and even deaths. DDOH addresses this by offering low-income residents 351+ different medications.
Building on success directing community planning, DHC leads efforts to improve health equity. A few select recent projects include:
• COVID education and vaccine outreach to high barrier communities
• Hospital collaborations to coordinate COVID-19 response
• Community face mask and flu shot initiative
• HEART, Health Equity Response Team, Leadership
For over 20 years DHC has addressed health disparities caused by being uninsured/underinsured. We envision a world where low income is not a barrier to being healthy. In collaboration with our community, we ensure that in DuPage, it is not. To support our vision and help keep DuPage families healthy and safe visit https://accessdupage.org/donate-now/
