| GOAL: Improve access to care
 WHY IT MATTERS
Good health is fundamental to people’s capacity to enjoy their lives, to provide for their families, to realize their dreams and to contribute to society. Those with fewer resources often postpone seeking appropriate medical assistance and do not follow recommended treatment. Delayed or sacrificed care results in lower productivity, costly emergency treatments, disability or death.
COMMUNITY FACTS
- The County Health Rankings (www.countyhealthrankings.org) show Marathon County continues to be one of Wisconsin’s healthiest counties ranking 24th out of 72.
LIFE in Marathon County 2011-2013 – Survey Results:
- 7.6% of respondents reported there was a time in the past year when they had no health care coverage or insurance
- 24% of survey respondents indicated they had medical debt of $5,000+
- 6-12% of respondents between the ages of 25-84 reported not taking prescription medications as directed, with the highest percent reported among 45-54 year olds
- Respondents listed “Health care is affordable” as one of the top areas that needed to be addressed or improved
OUR RESPONSE
- Increase the availability of healthy food at food pantries
- Promote the FamilyWize free prescription discount card
- Lead the United Way RSVP program which provides free blood pressure screening and recruits volunteers to assist programs that reduce barriers to accessing care
- Fund collaborations and programming that reduce barriers to accessing care
RESULTS
- 81% of people receiving mental health treatment from United Way sliding scale fee programs reported improvement
- 83% of individuals who participated in the RSVP Blood Pressure Screening Project credit the program for improved health
- In 2011, Marathon County residents saved $114,430 dollars by using the FamilyWize Prescription Drug program
For more information on United Way's efforts to improve access to care, please contact JoAnn Janikowski at 715-848-2927 or jjanikowski@unitedway.org. |
