Healthcare access for all Lancaster Countians is something we strive constantly to provide. Free and low-cost programs that make it easier for everyone to be healthy – regardless of income – are absolutely critical.

In the communities of Lancaster, these programs come in many forms, have many recipients and frequently involve non-traditional settings. Examples include free wellness and screening events like the Crispus Attucks Health Fair in May 2006 and other screenings that take place entirely in the private sector (churches, senior centers, civic buildings).

In January 2005, we helped open the doors of the Hope Within Community Health Center in Elizabethtown, providing free primary medical care to the uninsured. We donated durable medical equipment to the faith-based center and continue to support it through free laboratory and radiology services for all patients. In October, we hosted the “Help is Here Express,” a nationwide bus tour to help people sign up for prescription assistance. The big orange bus stopped in Columbia and Lancaster and is part of the Partnership for Prescription Assistance Program.

Patient's Story   Dustin Shirk was helped by the Dental Health Network, a group of 52 volunteer dentists who give free emergency care to adults and children who cannot pay. The dentist extracted two of Dustin’s teeth and treated his gum disease. Since 2004, more than 350 DHN patients have received $130,000 worth of care.

To help Latina women with high-risk pregnancies or premature births, we secured a $20,000 March of Dimes grant. With these funds, we developed a case management program for 30 women at SouthEast Lancaster Health Services who were not eligible for help under Medicaid.

Existing initiatives that increase healthcare access include the Water Street Rescue Mission Health Clinic (WSRMH), which Lancaster General began supporting in 1993 and continues to support with $30,000 of medication and supplies each year. In addition, second- and third-year residents from our Family & Community Medicine Residency Program volunteer to provide care at the clinic, which serves the community’s most vulnerable individuals. In May 2005, Lancaster General was recognized as a Partner in Rescue by the Clinic.

Family Health Services (located at Lancaster General Hospital) and two city clinics at Fulton and Carter-McRae elementary schools are also open for the medically underserved. Our thanks to retired pediatrician Dr. Clark McSparren, who volunteers one day per week at Lancaster General school-based health clinics. Children of all ages are served through ChildProtect, a free immunization effort that started 15 years ago with the Amish community and is now in locations throughout Lancaster County. In the past two years, 3,700 vaccines were administered to more than 1,400 children.