SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Governor JB Pritzker’s Office has announced that $94 million in grants has been awarded to address inequities in healthcare.
The grant money is going to hospital and healthcare provider partnerships on the North, South, and West sides of the city and elsewhere, involving dozens of facilities.
They are called Healthcare Transformation Collaboratives. They are using the money to provide better access to care for more people. In some cases, hiring more specialists, including obstetricians and short supply in some areas; also an emphasis on mental health and substance abuse treatment.
“This pandemic exacerbated inequities in the healthcare system that existed long before there was a COVID-19, and the Healthcare Transformation Collaboratives are a key asset in the fight to build a better normal for all Illinois residents,” said Governor JB Pritzker, in a statement. “These funds allow some of our most distressed communities to decide exactly what they need – and how to get there – when it comes to whole health. Healthcare is a right for all people, and I’m proud that these partnerships will take us one step closer to truly honoring that right as a state.”
After Gov. Pritzker signed the historic, equity-driven healthcare and hospital transformation plan, the eight awardees demonstrated how they plan to bridge gaps in the delivery of healthcare and increase access to community-based services in areas of the state that could benefit from new innovative approaches. With support from federal matching funds, Illinois may invest up to $150 million annually. The administration anticipates announcing an additional round of awards in the fall.
The eight awardees that comprise the first round of funding are:
Chicago North Side Collaborative: A proposal to mitigate barriers to specialty care and increase health equity among the communities it serves.
Participating Entities:
Swedish Hospital
Erie Family Health Centers
Heartland Health Centers
Hamdard Healthcare
Asian Human Services Family Health Center
Howard Brown Health
Medical Express Ambulance Service, Inc. d/b/a MedEX Ambulance Service
Collaborative Bridges: A plan to improve behavioral health and other health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs by creating an unprecedented continuity of care between hospital and community.
Participating Entities:
Community Counseling Centers of Chicago
Habilitative Services, Inc.
Humboldt Park Health
Hartgrove Hospital (UHS)
The Loretto Hospital
East St. Louis Health Transformation Partnership: A proposal to affect large scale realignment of the health delivery system and improve the life circumstances of those living in the East St. Louis Metro Area.
Participating Entities:
Touchette Regional Hospital
SIHF Healthcare
SIU School of Medicine
Hoyleton Youth and Family Services
Centene
Memorial Medical Group
ConferMed Weitzman Institute
Washington University
Comprehensive Behavioral Health Center
Zade, Inc
Integrated Hub: A collaborative to enhance quality of care for adult Medicaid beneficiaries with behavioral health, substance use disorder, and physical health needs.
Participating Entities:
Egyptian Health Department
Eldorado Rural Health Clinic
Gallatin County Wellness Center
Harrisburg Medical Center
Ferrell Hospital
Southern Illinois Healthcare
Fairfield Memorial Hospital
SIU Multicultural Center
The Prison Emergency Early Release Response (PEERR) Network: A model approach to care coordination and social determinants of health for men and women released from incarceration returning to Cook County.
Participating Entities:
Safer Foundation
Heartland Alliance Health
Cook County Health
Healthcare Alternative Systems, Inc. (HAS)
KAM Alliance
Transforming Reentry Services/MWPM
Get To Work Illinois
Smart Policy Works
Legal Council for Health Justice
South Side Healthy Community Organization: A collaborative dedicated to fundamentally advancing healthcare access, including to specialty and obstetrics care, and improving health outcomes for Chicago’s South Side residents.
Participating Entities:
St. Bernard Hospital
Advocate Aurora Healthcare
Beloved Community Family Wellness Center
Chicago Family Health Center
Christian Community Health Center
Friend Family Health
Jackson Park Hospital and Medical Center
Near North Health
Roseland Hospital
St. Bernard Hospital
Sinai Chicago
South Shore Hospital Corporation
TCA Health
The University of Chicago Health System
TARGET Health: A collaboration with culturally and linguistically competent approach to improve access to a wide range of healthcare services and improve the health and wellness of individuals in two communities.
Participating Entities:
UI Health Physician Group (UIPG)
Mile Square Health Center
Alivio Medical Center Primary
University of Illinois College of Applied Sciences Depts of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Nutrition
West Side Health Equity Collaborative: A plan to increase convenient access to culturally responsive healthcare, supporting the unique and changing socio-economic needs of individuals and families.
Participating Entities:
Access Community Health Network
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
Bobby E. Wright Comprehensive Behavioral Health Center, Inc
Cook County Health
Habilitative Systems, Inc
Humboldt Park Health
The Loretto Hospital
Medical Home Network
Rush University Medical Center
Sinai Chicago
West Side United
Two additional collaboratives have been advanced for further consideration and potential funding:
Medicaid Innovation Collaborative: A collaborative coordinating complex, novel strategies that incorporate innovation, analytics, and new digital technologies to improve quality and access to care.
The New Roseland Hospital Transformation Proposal: An initiative featuring strategies and initiatives that will provide the most positive impact on its community, in terms of health, wellness, access and equity.
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