Ascension Health: Ascension Health Local Partnerships

Ascension Health Local Partnerships

Ascension Health believes in a community-based approach to care — one in which collaborative partnerships of public and private sector leaders and organizations work together to leverage healthcare resources and apply a coordinated strategy for healthcare delivery for the uninsured and the underserved.

Collaborative Models

The solutions may differ from location to location, but we believe there are collaborative models reflecting different approaches that, once developed, can be shared and replicated in other communities. We have used this approach to partner with local providers, institutions, social service agencies and government agencies in building collaborative solutions that meet the needs of local communities. The results of our unique, community-based efforts have made a powerful difference in many communities.

Healthy Communities Access Program

In 2000, the federal government began providing infrastructure grants for communities with existing public/private partnerships organized to improve access to care for the uninsured. To date, 19 collaborations with Ascension Health partners have received Healthy Communities Access Program (HCAP) grants, securing from the federal government over $28 million in funding over the past four years.

One-half of Ascension Health's markets have received federal grant support thanks to the collaborative models of care being developed at the local level. The markets being served represent some of the most at-risk populations in the country, including urban areas like Detroit, Mich.; New Orleans, La.; and Austin, Texas; and rural areas including central Indiana and southeastern Arkansas. The Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services administers the federal grants. Their purpose: to improve access to healthcare among uninsured Americans. The goal of the federal effort is entirely consistent with Ascension Health's charge: to create a healthcare system that leaves no one behind.

Ascension Health Matching Funds

We have taken our commitment one step further through a program offering Ascension Health matching funds to selected HCAP initiatives. In eight of the 19 HCAP sites with Ascension Health partners, Ascension Health has matched the first year of federal funding awarded to these coalitions. This additional $7 million in private matching funds to Ascension Health-related HCAP grant recipients concretely displays the commitment of our individual hospitals and related health facilities to provide leadership to catalyze a healthcare system that leaves no one behind.

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