We Believe in a Healthy Community

 

HealthCare Access is a nonprofit organization that works with physicians, hospitals, and medical practices to make healthcare available to the uninsured.

Our name is what we do – we provide access to healthcare that would otherwise be unavailable to those without insurance in Forsyth and the surrounding counties (Yadkin, Davidson, Davie, and Stokes).

We are not insurance, but a 501(c)(3) charity care program.

We also do not provide direct medical care or prescriptions; instead, we coordinate care for our patients with participating providers who voluntarily provide their services.

We have been in operation since 2004, and in our thirteen years this organization has helped countless people access the vital care they need.

Active Patients In 2016

Total Value Of Care Provided in 2016 (in dollars)

People Assisted With ACA Applications in 2016

History

In 2001, at the invitation of United Way of Forsyth County, business and community leaders came together to discuss the growing number of medically uninsured in Forsyth County. A twenty member committee worked for two years reviewing options for increasing access to care, for which the Winston-Salem Foundation provided funding. What they found was that the community was rich in healthcare resources – Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Forsyth Medical Center, Downtown Health Plaza, Community Care Center and over 1,500 physicians positioned Forsyth County as a major health provider in North Carolina.

In July 2003 the committee acted upon the recommendations of the report by creating a private 501 (c)(3) corporation to address the unmet needs of access to care for the medically uninsured and HealthCare Access began. An eleven member board was created, the executive director hired, and Dr. Edward Beason began to recruit physicians to the new organization. In January 2004 the first patient was enrolled. Since then, HealthCare Access has expanded its service area to include five counties from its original three, and has enhanced its original goals with the passing of the Affordable Care Act by hiring a Marketplace Navigator.

Thanks to our participating physicians, we’ve created a new kind of network and we hope to continue to meet the needs of the medically uninsured and of the healthcare system.

Moving Forward

HealthCare Access is committed to our patients’ ability to get the healthcare they need, and the best way for that to happen is for our patients to become insured. Therefore, we have a Navigator and Certified Application Counselors on staff to help those who may now qualify for insurance with the Affordable Care Act to become insured. We also have a guide to health insurance questions here where those new to insurance may find some assistance in understanding the complicated world of health coverage.

However, there are still those who fall in the gap between Medicaid and insurance through the Affordable Care Act, and our original purpose is as necessary as ever – to provide charity care to the low-income, uninsured community. We will still be here to create a link between those people and the medical community.

Total Value of Care Provided

based as a percentage of 40,000,000
  • 2008 25%
  • 2009 46%
  • 2010 58%
  • 2011 60%
  • 2012 89%
  • 2013 91%
  • 2014 60%
  • 2015 69%
  • 2016 73%
Year Total Value of Care (Based on Charges)
 2008  $10,071,684
 2009  $18,339,461
 2010  $23,926,006
 2011  $23,958,287
2012 $35,620,260
2013 $36,178,071
2014 $24,087,943
2015 27,736,716
2016 29,234,983

Enrolled Patients

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016