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NORWAY — Stephens Memorial Hospital will hold an open house to celebrate MaineHealth’s Access to Care program, which for 20 years has connected the community’s most vulnerable populations to affordable health insurance and free and low cost health care and medications.
The event is free and open to the public and will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 29, in the Harper Conference Center of the Ripley Medical Office Building, 193 Main St.
Established in 2001, Access to Care has helped more than 3,558 people in Oxford County navigate the complexities of the health care system to find comprehensive, affordable health care. It has worked with over 6,690 residents to complete prescription assistance applications and guided more than 1,369 people through the Medicaid/ACA application process.
“Access to Care has had a profound impact on the health of our community and reflects our visions of working together so our communities are the healthiest in America,” said Andrea Patstone, president of Stephens Memorial Hospital. “However, it is important to note that the program’s success really is the success of the people who work on the Access to Care team. Their dedication to delivering compassionate assistance to those who are uninsured or underinsured has improved the lives of thousands of our friends, neighbors and family members. Because of their work, our communities are a better, healthier place to live.”
Access to Care programs include MedAccess, CarePartners, Coverage Team, Complex Coverage Group, Homeless HealthPartners, and the Patient Assistance Line, and have helped over 162,000 people since 2001. These programs connect uninsured and underinsured patients to free and affordable health care, free and
discounted medication and access to the basic necessities of life such as food, transportation, child care and housing.
Patients who could benefit from Access to Care programs are often identified during an Emergency Department visit. They also are referred to the program by primary care providers, especially when faced with an expensive procedure or medication and when life circumstances such as food insecurity challenge the patient’s wellbeing.
For more information about Access to Care, visit mainehealth.org/healthy-communities/access-to-care or call toll free 1-833-644-3571.
