NASSAU HEALTH CARE CORPORATION INITIATES PHASE I: PLANNING FOR NUCARE, A PROGRAM FOR PROVIDING ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE FOR THE UNINSURED AND UNDERINSURED, BY GAINING A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF SIZE AND NATURE OF UNINSURED POPULATION AND DEVELOPING NETWORK OF COMMUNITY BASED OUTREACH AND PROVIDERS
June 12, 2008
Contact: Shelley Lotenberg
(516) 572-6055
shelley@numc.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
NASSAU HEALTH CARE CORPORATION INITIATES PHASE I: PLANNING FOR NUCARE, A PROGRAM FOR PROVIDING ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE FOR THE UNINSURED AND UNDERINSURED, BY GAINING A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF SIZE AND NATURE OF UNINSURED POPULATION AND DEVELOPING NETWORK OF COMMUNITY BASED OUTREACH AND PROVIDERS
NHCC to develop plans to reach out to residents in NHCC’s primary catchment area in a massive outreach campaign to remove barriers and focus on disease management rather than episodic care
East Meadow, NY——– Arthur A. Gianelli, President/CEO, Nassau Health Care Corporation (NHCC) announced the start of Phase I: Planning for NuCare, to develop the model for the medical home program for the uninsured and underinsured by gaining a better understanding of the size and nature of the uninsured populations and developing a network of community-based outreach and providers. “We are developing plans through our NuCare Phase I to reach out to residents in the Nassau Health Care Corporation’s catchment area, in a massive outreach campaign to remove barriers and focus on disease management rather than episodic care,” said Mr. Gianelli.
The main aspects of the first phase in planning for NuCare, which is expected to take approximately one year, include the following:
An accurate and much more complete picture of the size and nature of the medically underserved populations.
A network of government, faith and community based organizations that will assist in gaining access to the target population on a regular basis.
The development and implementation of patient management software that will manage patient care among all participating providers.
The development and implementation of a NuCare web site that will not only provide information, but also the opportunity for individuals to apply, make appointments and inquiries.
Implementation of a region wide conference sponsored by state and local government, bringing together non profit, health, social service, and elected leadership to raise awareness and consciousness of the problem.
At a recently convened conference (photo attached, left to right: Arthur Gianelli, Mary Curtis, Deputy Nassau County Executive, and Martin Payson, chair of the NHCC Board of Directors) held at NUMC with participation from the North Shore/LIJ Health System, the Nassau County Health and Welfare Council of Long Island, the NHCC Institute for Healthcare Disparities, the Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council, Planned Parenthood and the Adelphi University Vital Signs Project, plans were shared for providing access to healthcare for the uninsured and underinsured including deeply discounted medications, expanded public insurance for children, primary, specialty care and hospital care as well as mental health and substance abuse at the hospital and at the new community health centers. There are also plans to increase the enrollment of children in Child Health Plus, partnering with Health First to improve outreach efforts to get thousands of additional children enrolled and providing them and their parents with disease management.
The NuCare program is modeled after the Healthy San Francisco program of basic and ongoing medical care regardless of immigration status, employment status or pre-existing medical conditions and the Richland Care Partnership to make healthcare services accessible to those who do not have health insurance and cannot afford care in South Carolina.
“By initiating Phase I of NuCare, we propose to redirect health care access and tear down barriers to access to healthcare, thereby fulfilling our commitment to provide quality health care to the residents of Nassau County and greater healthcare access to Nassau’s vulnerable populations,” concluded Mr. Gianelli.
