Nonprofit group gets major shot in the arm
By Samantha C. DePoy
Staff Writer

EAST WILTON – An East Wilton based non-profit that works to improve the health and well-being of Franklin County, Vienna, Livermore and Livermore Falls residents was awarded a grant last week to improve access to quality health care for those who can’t afford it.

The Maine Health Access Foundation, the state’s largest private nonprofit health care foundation, announced last Thursday that $270,000 was being awarded to Franklin Health Access Project (FHAP), which currently serves 396 residents in the greater Franklin County area.

Since the program’s inception three years ago, 910 people have been enrolled, 1,179 referrals have been made and 514 members have left the program after being set up with a health care or health insurance plan.

Members, who qualify based on household income and lack of health insurance, receive health services on a sliding-fee scale and work one-on-one with a personal health advocate to meet their health goals.

It is estimated that one in five Franklin County, Livermore and Livermore Falls residents live without health insurance.

The grant money, which will arrive over the course of the next two years. will be earmarked to improve access to quality care using a three-pronged approach, explained Leah Binder, chief operating officer for FHAP and executive director of the Healthy Community Coalition.

“This grant enables us to reach out, and do so effectively,” says Binder. “We are providing smart care. Going to the emergency room five times a month because of asthma problems is getting health care, it’s just not smart health care.”

Grant money will go toward outreach so that more people, especially those in rural communities, know about the project and increasing the program’s presence at community events, town offices and fairs. Binder adds that the grassroots outreach program will be done with a personal touch so that people feel comfortable asking for help.

A major component of the grant is to offer ScoreKeeper health screenings to all access enrollees by bringing the screenings to smaller communities, while in the past most of them have been done in Farmington. From Stratton to Salem, Wilton to Weld and places in between, ScoreKeeper will assess cholesterol, blood pressure, body mass index and provide answers to health-related questions.

The screenings will be free, says Binder, who adds that many doctors charge upwards of $100 for the same assessment.

Charlie Woodcock, Lab director at Franklin Memorial Hospital for the past 10 years and FHAP’s new executive director, says the preventative screenings are a way for people to assess their health and get the steps needed to make changes. “Preventive health care can save you a lot of money on health care down the road,” she says. “It’s so important just learning about your health. It’s little things you find you can do to make a big difference in your life.”

FHAP will enter the results of screenings into a database, says Binder, and then scrutinize the data. “This is an amazing opportunity to see trends and hopefully improvements.”

A third piece of the grant puzzle is to eventually connect access enrollees to Care Support, a new division of FMH. Through Care Support, those with chronic illnesses like cardiovascular problems or diabetes are matched with a clinical case manager who helps answer questions, set up appointments with specialists, and manage prescriptions.

For more information about FHAP, call 779-2772, or toll-free (888) 952-2772.

sdepoy@sunjournal.com

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