Partnership Releases Two Health Care Inventories
Resulting in Improved Access to Services for Milwaukee’s Vulnerable Population
The Milwaukee Health Care Partnership has released two publications that together offer a clear and comprehensive picture of resources available to Milwaukee’s uninsured and underinsured population. These inventories will provide community workers, planners and funders with valuable, up-to-date information that will improve access to health care.
The Enrollment Inventory compiles locations in Milwaukee County that assist people with enrolling in health insurance and other health related benefits. A new Safety Net Clinic Inventory, published in conjunction with the Free and Community Clinic Collaborative, comprises 38 medical clinics, 6 family planning clinics, 4 HIV/STD clinics and 7 dental clinics in Milwaukee County. Now more than ever, these clinics provide a vital health care safety net for people without regular access to primary health care. In Milwaukee County 435,000 residents – 46% of the population – are either uninsured or enrolled in Medicaid or another state program. These residents often don’t know what insurance opportunities are available to them or don’t know where to turn for their health care needs.
IMPACT 2-1-1, a 24/7 free information and referral hotline with the area’s most extensive database of family health and human services agencies and programs, is updating its listings with the information in the publications. “These inventories are essential to IMPACT 2-1-1’s ability to make referrals that best meet the needs of each Milwaukee resident,” says Bob Waite, IMPACT 2-1-1 Program Director. Other community organizations that help residents find health care resources, as well as individual consumers, are also encouraged to consult the directories. Both publications can be downloaded from the Milwaukee Health Care Partnership website.
The information will also serve as a valuable tool for health systems, clinics, collaboratives, government agencies and funders, as they plan to improve health care in Milwaukee. By identifying both gaps and duplication in services, these documents will aid in their strategic and investment planning, helping to ensure thoughtful growth in care capacity and improved delivery.
“We’re thrilled to be able to share these resources with the community, as they will have positive impact on both the immediate and long-term health of Milwaukee’s most vulnerable residents, and the community as a whole, says Joy Tapper, Milwaukee Health Care Partnership Director.
The 2011 Safety Net Inventory is an update and expansion of the first inventory released in 2008. Moving forward, the Milwaukee Health Care Partnership and the Free and Community Clinic Collaborative intend to update this important resource annually. The 2011 report was made possible through the support and partnership of: Milwaukee Health Care Partnership, in collaboration with Free and Community Clinic Collaborative; Greater Milwaukee Foundation, funder; The Faye McBeath Foundation, funder; and The Planning Council for Health and Human Services, research and report coordination.
This is the first time that the Partnership has released the Enrollment Inventory, which they intend to update quarterly. This inventory was made possible through the support and partnership of: Milwaukee Health Care Partnership; Greater Milwaukee Foundation, funder; and United Way of Greater Milwaukee, funder.