HEALTH CARE NETWORK INC

Health Care Network's (HCN) vision is to eliminate the barriers to access for medical and dental care for low income, uninsured residents of Racine County. The goal of HCN is to provide ongoing, quality health and dental care to those without access to care. Health Care Network works to improve the health of the community's most vulnerable residents through the provision of primary and specialty medical and dental care, access to pharmacy assistance, social services, and reducing the unnecessary usage of the emergency departments for primary care.

Free or low cost health care is made possible through the volunteer efforts of over 250 physicians, dentists, and other health care professionals. This includes 32 specialties of medicine, 5 specialties of dentistry, 3 area hospitals, and 17 pharmacies that provide prescription assistance. Annually, over 6,000 appointments are scheduled, and more than 2,000 unduplicated patients are served. HCN is the only entity in Racine County whose sole mission it is to provide access to care for the lowest income uninsured. Over 232,000 appointments have been scheduled since the inception of the organization in 1987 at an estimated value of $50 million.

As the name implies, the agency has built a network of providers across the county who donate their time to provide care at no cost. While some of the services and appointments take place at the main location, two-thirds are offered in the offices of the volunteer providers in the community. Because of this, patients have access to care during regular office hours, just as the insured population does.

There are five components of the program. These include medical and dental care and diagnostic services, prescription assistance, information and referral services, social services, and BadgerCare+ and Marketplace application assistance:
• Health Care Services- Medical & dental care is delivered by 380+ volunteers providing 32 specialties of medicine & 5 specialties of dentistry. Diagnostic services are offered at 8 sites.
• Prescription Assistance- Made possible through direct payment to 17 pharmacies that offer a discount to HCN patients, dispensing of sample medication, pharmaceutical assistance programs, and generic medication programs, bulk buying and discount programs.
• Information & Referral- HCN is a referral source for information on services for low income individuals and maintains a resource library on available services for the low income uninsured in this area.

Health Care Network, with 35 years of service to Racine County, is the only free clinic located in the county. Having over 250 professional volunteers that have provided over 232,000 medical and dental appointments since inception, HCN is seen as a leader among safety net clinics in the State of Wisconsin. The organization is a member in good standing of both the Wisconsin Association of Free and Charitable Clinic (WAFCC) and the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics. Health Care Network is currently in the process of accreditation with WAFCC through a review process of the Standards of Excellence and has attained Gold Level status.

HCN is unique in that it is the only agency providing direct patient care with a sole mission of providing health care for the low-income uninsured. Other health care facilities in Racine County serving low-income residents have missions broader than that of Health Care Network. Their missions include service to the Medicaid/Medicare populations and those who are of a higher income but uninsured. Due to financial constraints, capacity and mission, none of these facilities have the ability to serve the number of low-income uninsured patients enrolled at Health Care Network at no cost. In addition, the agency is the only site for access to medical specialists and free dental care for its target population.

The organization has grown to be a highly respected nonprofit viewed as a leader in this sector. To date, well over 232,000 medical and dental appointments have been provided to the low income, uninsured, valued conservatively at over $50 million. The community's trust in HCN is demonstrated by the large numbers of volunteers who donate their time and talent to patients by providing medical and dental care free of charge.

Health Care Network has an excellent reputation for providing a safety net of quality care to this community's most vulnerable residents. While medical and dental care are imperative for one's health, clinic leadership understands that there is more to being healthy than just attending appointments. As such, the clinic is in the process of adding health education and chronic disease management education through the services of a health coach who will individually manage the most challenging of patients. This work will be largely based on research related to the Social Determinants of Health.

In addition, the vast majority of patients have suffered great trauma in their lives. This trauma has never been discussed or addressed in any fashion. Health Care Network will be adding a more rigorous social service component in order to provide a well-rounded wellness component to traditional programming, thus treating the entire person.