Providing Generous Assistance for Those in Need
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Former PALCO patient
Jim Bamberger
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In 2007, Lancaster resident Jim Bamberger, found himself facing an increasingly common dilemma in the U.S.: a debilitating health condition while living without health insurance.
Finding that he couldn’t pay for the care he needed, Bamberger turned to Project Access Lancaster County (PALCO), a physician-led volunteer network of almost 700 physicians and hospitals who have joined together to serve Lancaster County’s uninsured citizens.
PALCO, which receives a majority of its funding and professional support from LG Health, provides a critical role in the community and advances our mission to advance the health and well-being of the communities we serve.
“I had to see a primary care physician and a specialist, and had a lot of blood work done at Lancaster General Hospital,” Bamberger said. “PALCO paid for all of it, and the physicians and staff at LGH who donated their services gave me the best care I’ve ever received.”
Bamberger is one of more than 8,500 patients who have turned to PALCO for assistance since the program started in 2007. Lancaster General Health has been pleased to provide PALCO with financial support since its inception and to provide PALCO recipients needing hospital services with free care.
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PALCO Facts
Project Access Lancaster County (PALCO) is a communitywide partnership that addresses the healthcare needs of the underserved throughout the County. The physician-led effort brings together primary care physicians, specialists, pharmacists, hospitals and not-for-profit agencies to provide free healthcare for uninsured county residents.
Here are some fast facts about PALCO:
• In the first year of the program, physicians treated more than 7,000 patients. Only 1 percent of the visits were in the emergency room.
• For every $1 in the program’s budget, $20 in healthcare services are delivered.
• Nearly half of PALCO’s patients live outside Lancaster City.
• 40 percent of PALCO’s patients are employed.
• The program has three full-time employees and 16 members on its board of directors. |
“We believe that every patient deserves the very best care when they walk through our doors, regardless of insurance status or financial means, and that’s why we’ve supported PALCO,” said Tom Beeman, President & CEO of Lancaster General Health. “Our role as caretaker and our promise to deliver extraordinary care to every patient is especially important during tough economic times.”
Supporting the Community
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Dr. Christopher Hager, Lincoln
Family Medicine, LGMG |
Through the collaboration of the Lancaster County Medical Foundation, PALCO brings together primary care physicians, specialists, pharmacists, hospitals and not-for-profit agencies in Lancaster County under a common mission: to ensure that low-income, uninsured patients who don’t qualify for government assistance receive the same access to quality medical care and services as the insured.
“Prior to PALCO, there was nothing being done in our community for people in need of treatment who didn’t qualify for medical assistance or have access to health insurance,” said Christopher Hager, MD, of Lincoln Family Medicine, part of Lancaster General Medical Group. “That’s the void that LG Health, together with PALCO, is helping to fill and we see it making a very strong impact.” Dr. Hager is one of the founding members of PALCO and currently serves as chairman of its foundation board. Dr. Hager is also a member of the Lancaster General Medical Group and a practicing physician at Lincoln Family Medicine in Ephrata.
To date, medical providers have donated an estimated $6 million of medical service to the community. The range of services includes primary and specialty care, laboratory and preventive care, inpatient hospitalization and physical and occupational therapy.
Delivering High-Quality Care to Everyone
“For me, PALCO served as a ‘bridge’ that gave me healthcare during a time when I was uninsured,” said Bamberger. “PALCO took care of making referrals to the right doctors and I felt that I was treated as well as any other patient. The services helped me become healthy and productive again.”
“There’s a saying, ‘Many hands make light work,’ said Dr. Hager, and PALCO has succeeded because of many generous hands working for the good of our community.”
Family Health Services, a federally funded medical and dental clinic affiliated
with Lancaster General Health, partners with PALCO. The facility treats
40,000 patients annually, some of whom are PALCO patients.