Rural and Urban Access to Health

The RUAH program connects individuals in the community with needed services including primary health care and preventative health services. St.Vincent Anderson Regional Hospital and St.Vincent Mercy employ health access workers who connect uninsured/underserved individuals and families to primary and preventative care as well as to other needed community services, identifying and removing financial, geographical, and cultural barriers and partnering with other community agencies that provide both client referrals and resources.

The Health Access Worker also advocates for patients with service providers and serves as a system navigator. During FY 2009, the Health Access Workers served 172 clients, and completed 1,840 referrals to public and private programs.

The RUAH program also includes a medication assistance initiative that brings together pharmaceutical companies, doctors, other health care providers, patient advocacy organizations and community groups to help income-qualified patients who lack prescription coverage to get no cost/low cost medicines. A total of 501 medications totaling $254,110.92 were provided in FY 2009.
Finally, RUAH is also active in ensuring that health care services are language accessible and culturally sensitive to minimize health disparities.