Submitted by CHOICE Regional Network
CHOICE Regional Health Network (CHOICE) held the first Thurston County Community Partner Recognition dinner on Thursday, April 3. CHOICE participates or coordinates a variety of coalitions and collaborative health efforts and those conversations often focus on resourcing issues, how to improve gaps in the health care safety net, and how we can improve coordination of services. Last week, CHOICE decided instead to celebrate the success of a local safety net program, Thurston County Project Access by hosting medical providers, clinics, and hospitals that participated in the program at Indian Summer Golf and Country Club.
After 9 years in Thurston County, Project Access ended December 31st. Over the entirety of the program, 3,648 individuals in Thurston County were given free specialty care delivered by nearly 500 providers, clinics, and hospitals donating their services, at an estimated value of over $24 million.
Thurston County Project Access was first developed as a venture from the Thurston-Mason County Medical Society based on an idea of Dr. Steve Albrecht and the Medical Society’s first Director, Noha Gindy. This program connected uninsured adults in Thurston County who had an urgent or acute medical issue receive free medical services through donated care. Project Access had a handful of administrative homes during its time in the county before transitioning to CHOICE in 2009.
“The Community Partnership Recognition Dinner was an opportunity for us to recognize the many health care providers that gave so generously to Project Access. It is these partnerships that made the project so successful,” said CHOICE Executive Director Winfried Danke. “We look forward to celebrating these community partnerships more often. They make all the difference.”
Dr. Rodney Joe, the Volunteer Care Institute Chair (the nonprofit arm of the Thurston-Mason County Medical Society) provided a keynote address emphasizing the truly collaborative effort Project Access undertook to serve patients in need. During 2013, there were 28 primary care providers and 167 specialty care clinics who served 1,040 patients, providing services that amounted to almost $9 million dollars in donated care. The two hospital systems in Thurston County, Providence St. Peter Hospital and Capital Medical Center, were recognized not only for their medical services offered through the program but for their generosity in providing core funding to keep the project alive in this county for the last several years.
All of the guests in attendance were recognized for their dedication and service to Project Access and the patient population served. Several organizations received awards highlighting their standout efforts:
- Thurston Mason County Medical Society
- Provider Network Leader and Fundraising Partner
- Dr. Rodney Joe, The Volunteer Care Institute Chair
- Program Leadership
- Sea Mar Community Health Center for Lacey and Olympia
- Connecting uninsured to Specialty Care
- The Olympia Free Clinic
- Connecting Uninsured to Specialty Care
- South Sound Radiology
- Largest Donated Care for Ancillary Services
- Gastroenterology Associates
- Largest Donated Care for Specialty Provider
- Capital Medical Center
- Donated Care Services Leader and Core Funding Partner
- $2.1 Million Dollars Donated Care
- Providence St. Peter Hospital
- Largest Amount of Donated Care Services and Core Funding Partner
- $13.1 Million Dollars Donated Care
“We are grateful for the providers who participated in the project,” noted Jennifer Brackeen, CHOICE Program Manager, “but it was especially gratifying to see Katrin Palmer and Marlene White, CHOICE staff who worked on Project Access, be recognized for their hard work.”
A particular poignant moment during the event came when James Kittle, a former Project Access patient, shared his story about the program. Mr. Kittle explained that his illness led to a job loss, which made it impossible for him to obtain the battery of tests his physicians needed to run to understand what was causing his illness. He eventually learned that his illness is incurable, but he noted “there is nothing that can fix me, but the people of Project Access gave me hope to live.”
While the program was incredibly successful in connecting the uninsured to care, leaders within the program decided that through the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in Washington State and with the availability of affordable health insurance starting January 2014, it made sense to conclude the program. CHOICE, as a Lead Organization for the Washington Health Benefit Exchange’s In-Person Assister Program, supported patients transitioning from Project Access to medical coverage. Mr. Kittle was one of those individuals who was assisted in applying for coverage. “Marlene White helped me with Project Access,” he said. “Then, she helped me get health insurance.”
CHOICE congratulates all those involved in Thurston County Project Access and looks forward to celebrating next year.
