Providence Milwaukie Hospital joined with community partners to develop Community Health in Motion, an outreach program for the area’s poorest and most vulnerable residents. Through CHIM, Providence Milwaukie Hospital and its partners are able to provided thousands of free immunizations and hundreds of sports physicals to area children, health screenings for adults, fall prevention clinics for seniors, free monthly dental services to emergency department patients, free mammograms to uninsured women and more.

Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center has two mobile clinics to provide primary care to residents of Prince William County. The mobile clinics, Family Health Connection I and II, are staffed by nurse practitioners from the medical center who provide physical examinations, vision and hearing screenings, growth assessments, blood pressure checks, immunizations, basic medical care and health information for uninsured residents. The scope of services is gradually increasing so that illnesses can be detected before they become serious health problems. Screening for high blood pressure and diabetes, providing breast exams and teaching women how to perform breast self-exams are some of the ways that they are able to accomplish this.

Beginning in March 2010, Saint Peter’s University Hospital’s Community Mobile Health Unit expanded its existing outreach program by offering preventive health care services for men, women and children at faith-based community organizations. Working with faith-based leaders, the CMHU staff tailored health summits to meet the medical needs of the participants at each site. Faith-based organizations have deep roots in the communities they serve and are influential in their service areas. They can point out the importance of accessing medical services early on and help their members overcome their apprehension with knowledge and information.

Research revealed that approximately 10% of Montgomery County, MD, residents and 15% of Prince George's County residents do not have health insurance. A lack of health insurance combined with the high cost of medical care and transportation challenges can decrease access to care and can lead to unmet health needs. The Transitional Care Program at Holy Cross Health aims to link uninsured patients discharged from the hospital to a primary care provider at one of Holy Cross Hospital's three health centers, by providing coordination of care, ensuring health center follow-up, patient education, medication management, transportation assistance and links to self-care management programs.

The Bread of Healing Clinic is a free clinic whose mission is to provide basic medical care to the uninsured. With the support of Aurora Sinai Medical Center and other grants, the clinic is open four half days each week at Cross Lutheran in Milwaukee, where an average of 300-350 patient visits are completed monthly. Two additional Bread of Healing Clinic sites are opened to accommodate an additional 50 patient visits monthly. In total, the Bread of Healing clinic provides medical care to more than 1,500 people annually who do not have medical insurance.

Bodegueros, small grocery store owners/workers, are a population of people who commit long work hours, leaving little time to meet health needs, and often are uninsured. Maintaining long hours leaves little time for physical activity. Many have no insurance or are underinsured; therefore, health care is not attained on a consistent basis. New York-Presbyterian's ACN-Outreach Program and Health Plus Medicaid Managed Care Plan partnered with Jetro's Bronx Food Market to offer general health screenings to the bodegueros as an opportunity to bring awareness to health-related problems that could be addressed with education and referrals. Health insurance eligibility screening and enrollment services were also offered

In September 2010, Swedish Medical Center opened the Swedish Community Specialty Clinic to expand specialty care services to the uninsured in the community. The clinic partnered with King County Project Access and provides a workable solution to one of the most pressing health care problems facing low-income and uninsured people in the community - access to specialty care services. This program builds on the safety net of primary care provided by the community health and public health clinics in King County. Through KCPA and a volunteer staff of more than 180 Swedish specialty physicians, low-income uninsured patients have access to needed specialty health care and donated ancillary, in- and out-patient hospital services.

Like many organizations in the community, Anne Arundel Medical Center regularly donates bag lunches, winter coats and accessories to its local homeless shelter. But AAMC's commitment to helping end homelessness doesn't end there. Through an ongoing partnership with the Annapolis Light House Shelter - AAMC nurses provide Light House patients with free health screenings and health and prevention classes on everything from cardiovascular health and nutrition to tobacco cessation and anger management. A nurse-led clinic, founded in 2011, allows nurses to review Light House patients' health needs and connect them to the appropriate care. Additionally, AAMC staff participated in Anne Arundel County's 4th Annual Homeless Resource Day, a one-day, one-stop event where homeless individuals and families can access benefits, medical and dental care, substance abuse resources, mental health counseling, haircuts and a variety of social services that can ultimately lead to housing and self-sufficiency.

The RotaCare Clinic on the campus of El Camino Hospital provides primary care and specialty services to area residents in need, such as families of the working poor, individuals who are temporarily out of work and uninsured, as well as individuals who cannot afford health insurance. A dedicated staff and volunteer physicians, nurses, pharmacists and interpreters provide medical services and the clinic provides health screenings and chronic disease management

Every year, Hartford Hospital's Brownstone Clinics provide free, quality health care to thousands of people in the community who have nowhere else to turn. The Brownstone Clinics meet a critical need in the community and, in fiscal 2011 alone, the clinics had more than 53,000 patient visits. The Brownstone Clinics are staffed by Hartford Hospital residents and by attending physicians, many of whom are retired and serve at the clinics part-time.

The Mobile Health program at Holy Cross Hospital was created to bring access to primary and preventive health care to community members, especially those who are homeless, undocumented, migrant workers and those who are working but ineligible for health benefits. The 33-foot vehicle is outfitted with two patient interview and screening rooms, one exam room and a client waiting area with a monitor to deliver educational messages. In addition, there is accommodation for on-board laboratory services. The vehicle also allows for on-board screenings for blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, HIV rapid testing and physical exams.

For several years, Mercy General Hospital has been a strong supporter of SPIRIT, an outreach program that engages physicians in the delivery of medical care to county indigent patients through volunteerism. As a partner, they make annual financial contributions, donate surgeries and provide in-kind support to assist in surgeries. SPIRIT recruits physicians to volunteer in county and community clinics in an effort to enhance primary care medical services available to Sacramento's uninsured. The project also offers a specialty service network comprised of office referrals to participating physicians, "specialty sub" clinics located within existing county clinics and hernia and cataract repair surgeries done at no charge at local hospitals. Specialists provide medical care that uninsured patients have difficulty accessing through the county clinic system. SPIRIT medical services are completely free of charge to the patient.

St John Providence Health System provides a wide range of primary care services to its community, regardless of patients' ability to pay. It does so through the St. John Health Community Health Centers, where patients receive preventive care, health education and treatment of long-term (chronic) diseases like high blood pressure or diabetes. It also includes care for acute (sudden) problems like cold, flu, gastritis and bronchitis. Additionally, it partners with others in the community to provide health care services to all those in need.

St. Christopher's Hospital for Children is located in an area where 26.7% of families reside in poverty and 49.6% of people experience food insecurity. The hospital is well-situated to screen for and address issues around hunger and nutrition, which directly affect children's health. St. Christopher's Hospital has developed several initiatives designed to help the children of Philadelphia break the cycles of food insecurity, violence and childhood illness. One example is a strong outpatient screening program that refer patients to emergency or long-term food resources, including information about food stamps and WIC benefits. The outpatient clinic also has a pro-bono lawyer on site who can address benefit access issues for families.

Mercy's primary care clinics are at the heart of their community benefit program, providing free and low-cost primary care to the uninsured, underinsured and undocumented immigrant populations across the Sacramento region. The clinics are strategically located in areas where the need for care is greatest. They are staffed by nurse practitioners and nurses, and Mercy-affiliated physicians volunteer their time and expertise. Interpreter services also are available. Each provides primary and preventive health care, including adult and child physicals, immunizations, chronic disease management and lab services. Many times the hospitals donate imaging, diagnostic and other specialty medical services when treatment is needed that goes beyond the scope of the clinic.

Through Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's Health Care's Jewish Diabetes Care Education and Screenings program, they provide free nutrition and diabetes care weekly to patients at the Mercy Medical Clinic, a rural clinic that serves the uninsured - including a growing number of Hispanic migrant workers and their families. With the help of an interpreter, clinicians are able to connect with families in a non-threatening environment through health providers they can trust.

Abington Memorial Hospital is fully committed to ensuring that all members of its communities have access to the care they need. As such, it provides a full range of programs and services for anyone who may not have the financial means to obtain care through Abington's numerous community health clinics.

The Hope Medical Outreach Coalition - a partnership between Hope, Omaha metropolitan hospitals (Alegent Health System, Creighton University Medical Center, Methodist Health System and The Nebraska Medical Center) and volunteer physicians - serves the growing medical needs for patients who are either uninsured or unable to pay for critical health care and who would otherwise go without health care for often serious illness or disease. Services include medication assistance, dental care, vision exams and glasses, diagnostic and laboratory exams, and hospital and surgical care.

The Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital "Yes Ma'am" program provides free mammograms to working uninsured women in the Downriver region on an annual basis. The program, started over 10 years ago as a partnership with Zonta Downriver, hosts a free mammogram day every in October in observation of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital "Yes Ma'am" program provides free mammograms to working uninsured women in the Downriver region on an annual basis. The program, started over 10 years ago as a partnership with Zonta Downriver, hosts a free mammogram day every October in observation of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Mercy, ProMedica and University of Toledo Medical Center have partnered to form the Lucas County Initiative to Improve Birth Outcomes. The partnership has been able to integrate local service providers and create systemic changes in how services are organized, delivered and financed for pregnant women with multiple documented risk factors, women who would not otherwise receive appropriate prenatal care and support. The Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio serves as the project's hub, working with care coordinators to track clients' progress and outcomes, as well as prevent duplication of services.

Hispanic residents comprise more than 29% of the Clark County population; due to language barriers and lack of medical insurance, they experience difficulty accessing medical information and health care. St. Rose Dominican Hospitals/Caesars Foundation Hispanic Communication and Outreach Initiative focuses on providing health information and education services to the Hispanic community via programs and outreach at community health fairs. Efforts also include the Spanish-language WomensCare magazine, which provides articles on topics of particular concern to the Hispanic population, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and hypertension.

Fairview Health Services’ Fairview Pond Center Clinic is a partnership between the health system and the Bloomington Public Schools. Low-cost medical services are provided to area children by Fairview physicians and staff; Washburn Center for Children offers mental health care, and Children’s Dental Services provides dental care. The goal is to improve community health for low-income families.

Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene's 100% Schools Project is a program designed to give all students the opportunity to have health insurance. The program connects children with low-cost or free health care coverage through the state Children's Health Insurance Program. The medical center's family resource counselor provides technical guidance to aid families in accessing coverage and other services. They also participate in school functions, such as parent open houses and PTA meetings, and provide community workshops. In the past five years, every school district in the hospital's service area has become a "100%" school.

To promote healthy living in low-income neighborhoods, UMass Memorial brings a number of programs directly to where people live and conducts focused outreach in Worcester's Bell Hill and Plumley Village neighborhoods. These programs include onsite medical and dental services in 10 low-income neighborhoods serving as an entry-point into the health care system for medically underserved families and individuals. The Care Mobile additionally offers dental services to school age children grades K-6 who have a high incidence of tooth decay due to lack of fluoridation in the city water supply

Bay Area Hospital’s Management of Maternity Services (MOMS) program partners an experienced obstetrical nurse with pregnant women and their families to provide free personalized guidance throughout the maternity experience. The nurse acts as a support and liaison between the family, community agencies and medical providers throughout the pregnancy and postpartum period. MOMS also offers an after-baby follow-up home visit, support for postpartum depression, connection to parenting programs and free lactation support.

Memorial Healthcare System's Health Intervention with Targeted Services program aims to reduce avoidable hospital admissions and emergency department visits.  Working with community organizations and agencies, HITS teams make door-to-door visits in targeted neighborhoods-those with a large percentage of uninsured patients with chronic conditions or high ED usage. HITS helps uninsured and underinsured residents find a medical home and enroll in Medicaid or Medicare, if they are eligible, and encourages those with chronic conditions to participate in Memorial's disease management program.

The Bon Secours CARE-A-Van is a mobile health clinic that has become a vital resource in providing access to health care services to those most in need - the uninsured. Services include health screenings, immunizations for children, flu shots for adults, school physicals for children and examination and treatment of sick patients. Services are provided by clinical staff, registrars, interpreters and van drivers. In addition to the faith communities that are host sites, Bon Secours also partners with area free clinics, local health agencies and organizations. Getting to a doctor isn't easy for everyone and this service helps to meet health needs of the community and promote quality of life.

Saint Luke's Health System joined with Kar Woo and Artists Helping the Homeless to address the increasing number of homeless using area emergency departments for basic needs. Through a $300,000 grant, a van program was launched that operates seven days a week from 5:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., to take homeless individuals from streets, stores and hospitals to a safe place. A large proportion of Kansas City's homeless population was not obtaining the services they needed. In 2010, the van logged 3,799 trips to transport 821 individuals from every segment of the local homeless population, including 14 chronic homeless individuals that realized transitional or full reintegration.

Glendale Adventist Medical Center’s community outreach services and programs help address the needs of people in our community who may otherwise not receive help.  They are designed to improve health status and quality of life, address health problems of the poor and other vulnerable populations and contain community health care costs. Glendale Adventist Children's Health Outreach Initiative assists children and families with free or low-cost health insurance. Since 2003, CHOI has helped enroll nearly 10,000 individuals. Also, Glendale Adventist hosts nearly 6,000 people every year at one or more of the over 40 heath education classes and support groups.

St. Vincent’s Medical Center and Bridgeport Hospital were presented with the Connecticut’s Hospital Community Service Award for the Hope Dispensary of Greater Bridgeport project. They joined with Primary Care Action Group, Connecticut state agencies and the City of Bridgeport to create the program, which provides prescription medicines at no cost to uninsured, low-income residents of Greater Bridgeport. It is Connecticut’s first Dispensary of Hope site. Medications for treatment of cardiac, pulmonary, mental health diseases and diabetes are provided. An innovative system was developed to collect still-viable prescription medicines donated by physicians’ offices and local pharmacies delighted to recycle their unused medicines and contribute to public health.

Indiana University Health is working to increase access to affordable fruits and vegetables in low-income populations because these patients face challenges in acquiring healthy foods doctors prescribe. They are improving access through “Garden on the Go,” a truck has 16 weekly stops delivering fresh, local, organic produce to community centers, libraries, neighborhood health centers and senior centers.

Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center has developed an outreach program that addresses the prevalence and disparities of prostate cancer among men who are uninsured or underinsured, particularly African-American men. Partnering with 30 faith-based and community organizations, Saint Francis launched the Curtis D. Robinson Men's Health Institute. The institute provides educational presentations and free, private screenings through its network of partners - making services available to underserved men who otherwise would not be tested when prostate cancer is in its earliest stages.

The Albemarle Hospital Foundation, which was created in 2003, developed Community Care Clinics to offer free primary care, prescriptions, and prescription assistance to the region’s growing indigent, uninsured, and underinsured population. The Foundation has created Community Care Clinics in each of the six counties within its service area.

Carthage Area Hospital’s Community Partners - Primary Care Network is a collaborative infrastructure of health care providers, schools, local government, civic organizations and others to develop, implement and maintain opportunities to ensure needed access to basic primary health care and related education.

Bon Secours DePaul Medical Center partners with Park Place Medical Center, a Federally Qualified Health Clinic in Norfolk, to provide uninsured and underinsured individuals with a medical home that can provide them with a full range of primary care services. BSDMC makes financial and/or in-kind donations to Park Place that include equipment, services and cash assistance for patient administration support, clinical staffing, case management and patient outreach.

In 2010, New Jersey hospitals provided nearly $2.7 billion in community health programs, other community support, education and free or discounted health care services for the needy and uninsured. These activities totaled more than 8.6 million individual "encounters" between hospitals and members of their communities.

MidState Medical Center’s Geriatric Outreach Program, held in collaboration with four area senior centers, provides accessible health monitoring services to seniors via regularly scheduled clinics and other initiatives. Local seniors have inadequate resources available for health needs and are often challenged accessing needed services. The senior centers provide the critical physical space necessary to see patients, as well as a communications outlet to let seniors know that these services are available to them in an accessible and targeted location. Seniors are able to get basic health screenings and appropriate consultation on health issues.

Cheyenne Regional Medical Center partnered with the Wyoming Department of Health to create the Southeast Wyoming Cancer Resource Collaborative, designed to work to eliminate health disparities in medically underserved patients with cancer through early detection, screening and cancer education. Along with the American Cancer Society, the hospital offers free wigs, hats and scarves for chemotherapy patients and free prostheses and mastectomy bras for the uninsured.

Las Palmas Del Sol Healthcare and University Medical Center of El Paso have developed El Paso Healthcare Heroes. The program provides a coordinated community care delivery system for the uninsured ensuring access to primary and specialty care, regardless of ability to pay.

An Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association community benefits study revealed that Arizona's hospitals together reached more than 1.5 million of the state's residents, approximately 25 percent of the population, with programs for underserved and uninsured Arizonans as well as other residents.

Memorial Health University Medical Center’s Medical Respite Care Program was created in collaboration with the JC Lewis Health Center, a local federally qualified health center, to provide acute and post-acute medical care for homeless individuals presenting at the emergency department. The program was designed to assist homeless individuals who are too ill or frail to be on the streets, but are not ill enough to require hospitalization. Beds are available at all times, with care and oversight provided by a nurse practitioner and physician.

Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Diabetes Collaborative is a partnership among the hospital, medical school and two federally qualified health centers.  It grew out of a critical need for assistance to combat the health problems associated with diabetes in two underserved Chicago neighborhoods.  The collaborative helps identify and teach adult patients with Type 2 diabetes how to manage their chronic condition. The program uses culturally sensitive bilingual videos and print materials to help patients of all education levels self-manage their diabetes.

Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center’s Hope Clinic and Pharmacy is a collaborative that provides free medical services to uninsured, medically underserved residents with pre-determined chronic conditions. The medical center provides administrative oversight, outpatient pharmaceutical support and volunteers.

Working in partnership with MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, Shepherd's Clinic provides quality, comprehensive health care to uninsured and low-income residents in northeast Baltimore. The clinic relies on 350 volunteer physicians, nurses, students and community members. While patients are asked to donate the equivalent of one hour's wage for an office visit-nine dollars-no one is ever turned away because they cannot pay. In 2011, the clinic cared for more than 2,300 patients and had almost 6,500 visits. Additionally, the clinic recently opened the Joy Wellness Center with the goal of empowering patients to take better care of themselves and to make healthy, life-affirming changes. The center offers nutrition education, healing arts, stress reduction and movement education.

Riverside Health System supports Project CARE, a special program for uninsured, low-income residents in the Greater Virginia Peninsula region. Project CARE addresses the need for a regional system of care for uninsured patients utilizing the emergency department as their medical home.  The program pools specialty providers to provide care to the uninsured and to reduce problems associated with chronic disease.

Aurora Medical Center provides support to the only local free clinic in Washington County, the James E. Albrecht Free Clinic. The medical center provides in-kind donations of laboratory tests and X-rays for patients who are referred by the clinic. Additionally, Aurora Health Care employees donate their time to the free clinic, helping ensure that patients have access to care outside the hospital for follow-up, medications, screenings and other preventive services.

Suburban Hospital is committed to assuring access to care for all and does so through a number of programs including its support of the Clinica Proyecto Salud and the Holy Cross Clinic.  Support from Suburban Hospital has allowed these safety net clinics to extend their hours of operations and supplement additional health care providers. In fiscal year 2011, 1,308 under/uninsured patients were provided with $4,000,231 in medical care at Suburban Hospital.

Berkshire Health Systems’ “Get Cuffed Berkshires” is a community-based hypertension program that brings existing outreach and public health services together to organize evidence-based initiatives, including free blood pressure screenings and targeted educational programs, to county residents, especially those at risk. Populations with limited access to care, seniors, the homeless and those with mental illness or disability have an even greater risk. In the first few months of the program, more than 2,500 individuals have been screened.

Saint Francis Health System operates the Xavier Medical Clinic to extend access to physicians, pharmacists, nurses and other health care professionals to those in the community who are uninsured or do not have access to health care services.  During 2011 alone, Xavier Medical Clinic cared for more than 5,000 patients.

Through the “Mammogram 500” program Dixie Regional Medical Center plans to provide 500 free mammograms to screen uninsured women in need.  The goal is to save lives through early detection and routine screening for breast cancer – the leading cause of cancer death amongin Utah women. Southern Utah ranks among the lowest in the nation for eligible women receiving mammograms.

Beebe Medical Center offers free screenings, disease prevention and early diagnosis outreach programs for cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Specialized nurses encourage people to have regular screenings and help people access financial, transportation, translation and other related resources. The nurses have also initiated an “Early Detection Connection” campaign, which reaches out to physicians and offers case management services to their patients who are in need of screenings they cannot afford. Much of their outreach is targeted to minorities, high--risk groups and underserved populations.

Christiana Care Health System sponsors Community Link Health Day in an effort to eliminate disparities in access to health care. Residents and neighbors were LINKed to free and easy access to health screenings and information, including on-site screenings such as HIV and chronic disease screenings that included cholesterol, sugar, and blood pressure. In addition, cancer awareness education and information was made available to attendees.

Baptist Memorial Health Care's Mammography for the Underserved  uses a mobile mammography unit to provide free digital screening mammograms and additional diagnostics as needed, to women from lower socioeconomic neighborhoods who have no other means to receive screenings or breast health care and education.

InovaCares Clinic for Women and Children was established to address specific health care access issues for the uninsured and Medicaid populations in Northern Virginia.

Cook Children's Health Care System began an initiative to address the health needs of more than 1,000 homeless children in Tarrant County. The Cook Children's neighborhood clinics serve as a medical home for underserved and homeless children.

In 2010, Upland Hills Health provided 1,408 people with reduced or entirely forgiven bills, based on their financial situations through the Community Care program. Recipients came from a variety of situations.

Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital's Children's Village is a model of collaborative care with multiple partners providing more than 30 types of health, therapeutic intervention and support services that positively impact outcomes for children with special health or developmental needs and their families regardless of a family's ability to pay. Area children with special needs now have access to high-quality, coordinated services.

Memorial Health University Medical Center's Medical Respite Care Program was created in collaboration with a local federally qualified health center, to provide acute and post-acute medical care for homeless individuals presenting at the emergency department. Beds are available at all times for homeless individuals who are too ill or frail to be on the streets, but are not ill enough to require hospitalization. They receive care and oversight provided by a nurse practitioner and physician.

The Altoona Regional Partnership for Health Services is a free medical clinic to address the primary care needs of the working underinsured or uninsured. In summer 2010, the partnership created a low-cost, hospital-only insurance plan designed to give patients access to surgery, anesthesia and all related inpatient care.

Lourdes Health Network's PATH program (Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness) provides outreach to homeless men and women and connects them with community services such as crisis mental health units and food banks.

Mercy Hospital of Portland established the McAuley Residence to provide a safe environment and comprehensive transitional housing and support program for homeless, at-risk women and children. Services include access to health and dental care; life skills counseling; education about resources available from other community based agencies; and connections to partner organizations with expertise in career exploration, parenting, and childcare issues.

Saint Agnes Medical Center joined the Sisters of the Holy Cross to create Holy Cross Clinic at Poverello House in downtown Fresno to meet the medical needs of the area homeless individuals. The clinic is staffed by a full-time nurse practitioner and medical team composed of volunteers - physicians, dentists, nurses and allied health practitioners, who provide free medical and dental services to the community's uninsured and underinsured.

The clinic provides needed health care to those who would otherwise go without and last year, the clinic received more than 7,900 medical visits and 660 dental visits.

Froedtert Hospital collaborates with a local public school and a federally qualified health center to meet the needs of children living in an underserved neighborhood. The hospital sponsors a school nurse who is able to work with school leadership and community health center staff to meet the basic health needs for 700 students and their families.

Catholic Medical Center's Health Care for the Homeless  (HCH) program is a “clinic without walls” that provides primary medical care, mental health care, nursing case management, addiction counseling, social services and health education to homeless individuals and families on-site at clinics located in shelters and transitional housing programs. The HCH team collaborates with many local health care providers and human service agencies to increase access to health care for more than 1,000 people struggling with homelessness.

Day Kimball Healthcare provides preventive services and cancer treatments such as mammograms, ultrasounds, medications, surgical procedures as well as travel assistance to community residents who need financial assistance. The goal is to provide residents in need with access to appropriate preventive care and/or necessary cancer-related treatment or services.

The newly opened Cleveland Clinic Stephanie Tubb Jones Health Center reaches beyond traditional healthcare services to link with community resources in one location to make it easier for patients and families access the healthcare, social and financial services they need.

Baton Rouge-based Woman's Hospital operates a Mobile Mammography Coach that provides screening for women at 105 locations throughout a 15-parish area. At least 40% of the patients using this coach have no insurance, and in the rural parishes this is as high as 90%. The Woman's Mobile Mammography Coach has been successful in reaching underserved women and collaborating with community-based organizations to reduce geographic and financial barriers to cancer care.

Baptist Health Medical Center developed the Heaven's Loft program to help ensure that low-income expectant mothers and parents of young children received prenatal and well-baby care and attended classes on childbirth, breastfeeding, infant/child care and parenting. For their participation, parents earn vouchers that can be used for needed baby supplies, including cribs, car seats, diapers and other necessities.

Penobscot Bay Medical Center has partnered with a local dentist to help MaineCare patients with acute dental pain access to care and connect with a dentist. Patients with no access to dental care were arriving in the emergency department in pain and often with infections. When discharged, they had temporary solutions with antibiotics and pain medication, but there was no treatment plan or provider with whom to follow up. Now the medical center staff will either make dental appointments or give patients contact information for where they can access follow-up dental care.

Berkshire Medical Center created the Community Outreach Van program as a way to reach communities where large numbers of individuals were thought to be uninsured. The outreach van is equipped with two state-of-the-art treatment and exam rooms that also provide a confidential space for visitors to discuss insurance eligibility, be screened for health risk factors or referred for other social services.

Froedtert Hospital's Neighborhood School Nurse Initiative is a collaboration among the hospital, a K-8 public school and a federally qualified health center. A hospital-sponsored school nurse works with school leadership and community health center staff to meet basic health needs for 700 students and their families in a medically underserved neighborhood. During the 2008-2009 school year, the school nurse provided 1,285 health visits to students, a series of health education sessions and a health fair.

Catholic Medical Center provides primary medical care, mental health care, nursing case management, addiction counseling, social services and health education to homeless individuals and families on-site at clinics located in shelters and transitional housing programs through their Health Care for the Homeless Program (HCH). The HCH team collaborates with many local health care providers and human service agencies to increase access to health care for more than 1,000 people struggling with homelessness.

Banner Health Sterling Regional MedCenter provides mammograms and screening tests at no cost for uninsured and underinsured women so that cancer can be detected early when it is most treatable. Getting screened regularly for breast cancer is the best way for women to lower their risk of dying from breast cancer. But for many women with limited or no health insurance, regular mammograms are out of reach.

Inova Health System developed the Inova Juniper Program (IJP) to help uninsured and under-insured people living with HIV/AIDS to have access to a full complement of comprehensive health services. IJP staff manage clients through the complete life cycle of their disease, with the goal of enhancing quality of life by helping them to maintain health and delay the onset of disease and disability.

Blue Ridge Regional Hospital (BRRH) in Spruce Pine, N. C. launched the Toe River Project Access (TRPA) to help low-income and uninsured residents gain access to comprehensive health care. TRPA operates in partnership with area physicians, dentists, optometrists and BRRH and has provided 795 uninsured residents with more than $3.5 million in free medical care.

Providence Health & Services in Hawthorne, CA created the Vasek Polak Health Clinic to meet the primary care needs of uninsured and underinsured adults living in the community. The Health Clinic is a direct extension of the organization's mission, providing much-needed care to the poor and vulnerable.

Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage provides primary and specialty care clinics in 14 communities across the state, as well as tele-medicine services to 273 sites across six states and three tribal nations. Without this outreach, medical services would not otherwise be available in remote communities throughout the state.

Fairview Health Services based in Minneapolis, partnered with the Bloomington public schools to open the Fairview Pond Center Clinic. The clinic provides low-cost medical, mental health and dental services to area children.

AtalntiCare Regional Medical Center's Special Care Center (SCC) is a primary care medical home practice designed exclusively for low-income patients with chronic conditions and the SCC charges payers or employers a flat monthly fee or a share of the operating cost in order to remove barriers to care for low-income, at-risk individuals.

During the 2009 fiscal year, Mile Bluff Medical Center in Wisconsin was able to help nearly 600 individuals who were unable to pay some or all of their medical bills, about seven of every ten dollars applied for was granted, and over $900,000 of debt was forgiven though the Community Care Program.

Saint Joseph's Mercy Care is one of Atlanta's oldest and largest community outreach programs serving the homeless, uninsured, and underinsured and immigrant populations by "taking health care where it is needed most." Mercy Care provides a system of primary health care, dental care, education, and social services reaching thousands of persons in need throughout Atlanta.

Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center first began using a mobile approach to health care in 1994 when the organization established its first mobile dental program. Since that time, Saint Mary's mobile care has expanded to four robust programs, with four vans serving those most in need of care.

Mercy Iowa City Healthy Kids Community offers free health services to children.

Berkshire Medical Center in Massachusetts community outreach van hits the road every week to provide free health screenings.

Providence Little Company of Mary's Mary Potter Program for Human Dignity was established to help make health care available for the sick within the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys and South Bay regardless of their ability to pay. 

Providence St. Peter Hospital in Washington created CHOICE in 1995, which stands for Consortium of Healthsystems Organized in Collaborative Effort, and was the result of rural hospitals working together to understand state-passed health reform. CHOICE has helped more than 30,000 individuals secure and retain health insurance.

Case Study: Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center - Mobile Health Outreach Programs, Reno, NV

Case Study: Mercy Iowa City - Healthy Kids Community Care, Iowa City, IA

Case Study: Mercy Health System - Community Health Center at Mercy Clinic South, Janesville, WI

Case Study: Altoona Regional Health System - Free Clinic/Hospital-Based Insurance, Altoona, PA

"Caring for Communities" website: More Access & Coverage Case Examples

Uncompensated Care Fact Sheet, December 7, 2010