Access DuPage
December 4th, 2008Access DuPage
Access DuPage is a collaborative effort by thousands of local individuals and hundreds of DuPage County organizations to provide access to medical services to the county’s low income, medically uninsured residents. Access DuPage is supported and sustained by a unique partnership of hospitals, physicians, local government, human service agencies, community funders and community groups working together to address the local impact of a national health care crisis.
Access DuPage Staff
Kara Murphy, Managing Director of Access DuPage (middle row, second from the right in the photo above) was kind of enough to answer some of our questions.
1. How do your programs help clients improve their lives and make lasting changes?
The truth is that no one can afford to be uninsured, but the consequences of a lack of healthcare are particularly devastating to our low income neighbors abilities to live and work. For the individuals who meet our guidelines and enroll in Access DuPage, their program enrollment means that they have access to a wide range of health care services. They have access to basic primary care services through a local volunteer provider with whom they can receive ongoing medical treatment. Enrollees also have access to diagnostic services, medication, specialty care, and hospital based services. Medical treatment is provided at a low or no cost basis, with patients paying small copays that represent a fraction of the cost of their treatment.
2. How has United Way of the DuPage Area helped your agency fulfill its mission?
United Way funding is vital to Access DuPage’s ability to coordinate health care services for our patients. Current Access DuPage enrollment exceeds 7,500, and more than 10,000 patients will be treated through Access DuPage this year. Each month brings a new record high volume, and in these difficult financial times, it is our wish and commitment to continue to enroll any and all eligible applicants. Our costs per patients are drastically lower than the cost of traditional health insurance ($403.08 per pt in FY 08 vs. $4,479 average cost of employer sponsored individual health insurance in 2007). Nonetheless, every United Way dollar that Access DuPage receives ensures that we are able to continue to provide our patients with the services they need.
3. What’s the most interesting aspect of your job?
There are so many parts of my work that I find fascinating. Our patients are incredibly diverse–gracious and typically resilient in the face of challenges that most of us would find unbelievably daunting. Working in healthcare ensures that no day is ever dull, because the human body is such a complex instrument, and medical science continues to amaze me. But mostly I am humbled by the way that our community has embraced Access DuPage and the patients that we serve. Every day I talk to providers and application agents whose efforts make this program possible, and they participate because they believe that their individual efforts have the power to affect real difference in people’s lives. And they are absolutely right.
4. What can members of our community looking to GIVE, ADVOCATE, and VOLUNTEER do for your agency?
If folks want to get involved in Access DuPage’s mission, we would certainly welcome their support. We recently moved to a new office, and for the first time we have space to accommodate volunteers in our administrative offices. We could really use the assistance. In terms of advocating, I would encourage folks to speak to their personal health care providers about Access DuPage, and encourage them to participate in whatever way they can. And for individuals who may not have medical skills to volunteer, or time to serve directly, please know that even modest donations of funding support are enormously beneficial. Since every dollar of direct funding is matched by ten dollars of donated services, you can also be confident that funds provided to Access DuPage (through United Way Giving) have amplified power to change our patient’s health. Thank you so much for your support!
