As someone who deals with sick people daily, access to healthcare is something I am very passionate about. I have been a part of many organizations that impact healthcare but the one I am proudest of is Project Access. Shelley Duncan, Executive Director, was gracious enough to let me interview her about this amazing organization so I can share with you all why I love Project Access.
What is Project Access?
Project Access is a nonprofit organization that leverages millions of dollars in donated health care to adults living in poverty who have no health insurance and who have been diagnosed with a serious health condition. Individuals coming to Project Access have been diagnosed, or have a suspicion of a diagnosis for a serious health condition such as cancer, diabetes, brain tumor, serious injury needing surgery, and many more health conditions.
How long have you been around?
We are entering our 20th year of service and have leveraged over $212 million in donated care and served nearly 14,000 people in Wichita.
Who is a part of Project Access?
635 physicians, all hospitals, 14 dentists, physical therapists, optometrists and more medical providers donate care to our cause.
How does your organization impact families in Sedgwick County?
We help families financially, in that by receiving donated health care they are not burdened with expensive health care that could lead to bankruptcy. We also ensure health conditions are treated so that people can maintain their employment, and/or become employed. We help keep families together, through treating health conditions that could impact the family’s financial livelihood. Project Access helps individuals deal with the stress of having a serious health condition and not knowing how they will pay for it. Project Access saves lives, simply put.
How does someone get referred to Project Access?
Project Access works very closely with the local community clinics who make referrals for 60% of Project Access patients. The other referral source are local physicians that are participating (donating) health care to Project Access. On occasion, Project Access can receive referrals directly from local hospitals.
What are the qualifications & benefits of the program?
Individuals must meet the following criteria: household income at or below 250% of federal poverty guideline, no health insurance of any kind including Medicaid, legal citizen or permanent resident of the United States, and must live in Sedgwick County. Individuals are enrolled in Project Access for 6 months at a time. They also receive a prescription card for $1000 to help treat their medical condition. Project Access also leverages hundreds of thousands of dollars in donated pharmaceuticals each year.
I hear you want people to rappel off a building downtown. Can you tell me more about this?
Yes, we are hosting a very exciting event to help celebrate our 20th year of operations, and to help keep us going for another 20 years. This will be a 2 day event on August 29 and 30. The first day is for VIP’s such as elected officials, television personalities, the Police and Fire Chief, and more. The second day is for ANYONE that wants to participate. The event entails rappelling down the 125 N. Market (NY Life) building. There are 19 stories that individuals will go down. We have named this event Access the Edge. We are looking for over 70 people that are willing to go “over the edge” and have the experience of a lifetime, while supporting vulnerable people in our community that are dealing with serious health conditions.
Will you be going Over The Edge?
I will say that I am terrified of heights but will be the first one over. So, I say…if I can do it, anyone can do it. It will be something I am sure I will never forget and will have a huge sense of accomplishment in overcoming my fear and helping this awesome agency at the same time.
If people don’t necessarily want to have an adrenaline rush in downtown Wichita, how can they contribute to your success?
We need people to volunteer, or help raise money for someone they know (like a boss or a friend) so they can Access the Edge. We need sponsors also to help provide support for this event. If you can’t attend this event, we always take monetary donations— for every $1 you give, we turn that into $15.56!
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