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.