HR0793 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0793 LRB094 15988 HSS 51221 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Access Community Health Network is celebrating its new diabetes management program in 20 community health centers, benefiting more than 6,000 low-income, often uninsured diabetic patients; and

WHEREAS, Access Community Health Network was named the 2005 Chicago Benefits recipient and received a $100,000 grant from Humana to fund its diabetes management program for low-income patients; the program is based upon a successful pilot project in six health centers; the grant will expand the project and will reach more than 6,000 diabetic patients with medical care, health education, and self-management tools to reduce their HbA1c scores to the recommended level of 7.0 or less; and

WHEREAS, Access Community Health Network, is the nation's largest network of community health centers, serving 175,000 low income patients each year; 93% of the agency's patients are African-American or Latino/a, and one-third are uninsured; more than 99% of the organization's patients live at or below 200% of the poverty level; about 61% of the organization's patients are Medicaid beneficiaries, and 4% are enrolled in Medicare; Access Community Health Network's quality of care is among the top 10% in the nation; and

WHEREAS, Access Community Health Network was founded in the 1980s by Mount Sinai Hospital, which serves Chicago's highly impoverished North Lawndale community; in 1991, the organization became a separately incorporated 501(c)3 organization with nine clinics, its own management team, and a patient-majority Board of Directors; and

WHEREAS, Access Community Health Network's goal for its diabetes management program is to decrease HbA1c scores; diabetes is one of our nation's greatest health risks, affecting approximately 18.2 million people in the United States, roughly 6.2% of the population; it is associated with heart disease, chronic kidney problems, blindness, and amputations and is the fifth leading cause of death among women, the sixth among men, and the seventh leading cause of death in Chicago; diabetes is particularly devastating for people of color and low-income people, Access Community Network's target population; and

WHEREAS, Today, Access Community Health Network is the largest health provider in the region, with the sole exception of the Cook County Department of Public Health; Access Community Health Network's 44 health centers serve one out of five of Chicago's and one out of ten of the suburbs' uninsured patients; the organization's 170 board certified physicians are complemented by 300 RNs, LCSWs, medical assistants, health educators, case managers, and outreach specialists; and

WHEREAS, Access Community Health Network's patients benefit from nationally recognized partnerships with community mental health and substance abuse treatment providers, social service agencies, dentists, and seven hospitals (including Mount Sinai); therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Access Community Health Network on the occasion of celebrating the expansion of its diabetes management program; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Access Community Health Network as an expression of our esteem.