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CHOICE Regional
Health Network, a nonprofit consortium dedicated to improving the health
of people living in Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Pacific and Thurston
counties, was selected as one of three demonstration sites in Washington
State to design a community driven model for financing and delivering
health care to 93,000 people below 250% of federal poverty level. Health
Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), a federal agency, awarded
CHOICE with Community Access Program (CAP) grant monies of $5 to $7
million to be funded over a five to seven year period because CHOICE had a
history of collaboration with health care stakeholders in our community.
The purpose of the project is to design a community-based 100% Access
Demonstration Project in our region that will:
- Increase access to affordable
health care in our region;
- Sustain providers' ability to
care for limited-income consumers; and
- Coordinate funding and programs
to serve as a model health care system.
For this grant to be successful, it
will take the whole community working together to find the solution. We have
begun our process by focusing on the point of transaction between providers
and consumers. During 2001, CHOICE held practitioner forums to:
- Further identify current
problems;
- Define desired outcomes of a new
health care system; and
- Establish criterion to evaluate
model options.
These activities will be further
refined by CHOICE-facilitated design and implementation processes
scheduled from April 2001 through summer 2002. A community dialogue
initiative began in September 2001 and will continue through June 2002. CHOICE
Board of Directors approved the creation of a new and broader
decision-making body for the 100% Access Project called the Sustainable
Healthcare Access Council. Members of the council and council workgroups represent public health
departments, state agencies, hospitals, mental health, federally qualified
health centers, rural health clinics, community-based organizations and
private practitioners. This body provides oversight of the Access
Demonstration Project. They developed the mission statement below: We
envision a regional health system that maximizes the ability to improve
and maintain people's health. Over five years, we intend to implement a
significant demonstration project that moves us in a strong common
direction and supports local autonomy. We are committed to creating a
regional health system with the following characteristics:
- A stable and predictable
method to finance health services that is clinically efficient and easy
to administer, can be sustained and makes sense to consumers.
- Blended multiple funding
streams and programs to assure that all consumers have easy access to a
basic level of appropriate and effective health services.
- Aligned economic incentives
among all participants in the system for people to engage in, facilitate
and encourage healthy behaviors throughout a person's lifetime.
- A flexible
multi-disciplinary team approach to delivering respectful and
compassionate care that meets the needs of individuals, families and
communities.
- Sustained value for
people receiving, delivering and paying for services.
We are convinced the time is right
to take collective action in redesigning the health care system in our
region. CHOICE is committed to help organize and provide the resources to
make this project successful. However, we can't do it alone and we
encourage you to consider partnering with us in the exploration of what
the next innovation in health care delivery and financing will bring.
Imagine a system where it is as
simple to enroll your children in health care, as it is to enroll them in
school.
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