ENGAGE-IL Collaboration

We are honored and excited ACCESS Community Health Network has joined our ENGAGE – IL campus and community collaboration in rising to the Federal Government call to “develop a health care workforce that improves health outcomes for older adults by integrating geriatrics with primary care, maximizing patient and family engagement, and transforming the healthcare system” (HRSA GWEP).

Department of Health and Human Services’ (DHHS) Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell White House announcement,

“Today’s grants reaffirm our commitment to invest in a workforce that will ensure high quality care for older adults. The geriatrics programs supported by these grants help schools design curricula that respond to the needs of aging adults and leads to better care. These investments will promote access to quality health care for older adults by supporting their self-management, their families’ engagement in their care, and the dedicated caregivers who work with them.”

ENGAGE – IL builds sustainability to our existing ACCESS and The University of Illinois Hospitals partnership. Students continue to gain a productive and informative learning practicum at ACCESS.

Select clinicians at ACCESS primary care sites in Chicago and metropolitan area will complete the Interprofessional (IP) Geriatric Certification Program pilot webinar and online training.  They will evaluate their experiences via surveys and focus groups.

ACCESS’ Services and Expertise

ACCESS’s mission is to provide outstanding preventive and primary health care, accessible to all in their own communities. ACCESS is the health care home of choice for individuals, families, and communities, exceeding quality standards and engaging patients and staff in addressing health disparities. Drawing strength from diversity, ACCESS engages patients, communities, and each other in relationships based on respect, compassion, trust, integrity, and mutual accountability.

Community-Based Health Care

For more than 20 years, ACCESS has been on the front-lines of community-based health care. ACCESS’s continuum of care model connects patients to health care resources within and beyond the walls of their 35 federally-qualified health centers (FQHCs)

ACCESS physicians, nurse practitioners, midwives, and other providers are teamed with outreach staff, case managers, social workers, and substance abuse counselors

This year, ACCESS community health centers, located throughout Cook and DuPage counties, will serve more than 175,000 low-income individuals and families, including 45,000 disadvantaged patients

Last year, ACCESS provided care to 22,492 patients with hypertension, 13,065 patients with diabetes, and 9,348 asthmatic patients

ACCESS’s patient demographics reflect the diverse communities ACCESS proudly serves each day: 50% Hispanic; 34% African American; 75% at or below 200 percent of the 2013 Federal Poverty Level ($22,980 annually)

ACCESS is the largest provider of primary care for Medicaid beneficiaries in Illinois and provides more primary care annually than the Cook County Health System

Beyond ACCESS walls, ACCESS reaches even more individuals through ACCESS community-based outreach and education models, which foster a connection between health education and action

An early leader in educating and enrolling community members in Medicaid, ACCESS is dedicated to developing outreach strategies to engage ACCESS’s 45,000 disadvantaged patients for new health coverage opportunities

Learn More About ACCESS