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A Great Grant Helps to Provide Access to Better Health Care
Jennifer D. is a divorced mother of three who works full-time as the director of a local daycare center. When a broken foot wasn’t healing properly, her lack of health insurance could have limited her options for follow-up care. Thanks to a recent Great Grant to the Health Alliance for the Uninsured, Jennifer is able to get the necessary x-rays and follow-up care free of charge.
“I just couldn’t afford the x-rays so finding out that I could get the x-rays I needed was great,” Jennifer says. “They’ve made the process real easy for me and I’m very grateful.”
The Health Alliance for the Uninsured is a pilot program of the Oklahoma County Medical Society that works to increase the access and quality healthcare for the uninsured by working with existing and new resources. A recent $15,000 Great Grant from the Access to Healthcare Field of Interest Fund is helping the group increase access to radiologic services for patients at free clinics in the county.
"The grant could not have come at a better time,” says Pamela S. Cross, executive director for the Health Alliance. “Having access to x-rays and ultrasounds helps patients get the care that is appropriate for their situation and helps all of us have a healthier community."
The Access to Healthcare Field of Interest Fund is comprised of various endowments established by donors who sought to help fellow citizens such as Jennifer D. One such donor was Luther T. Dulaney, a founding Trustee of the Oklahoma City Community Foundation and owner of the Oklahoma City RCA-Victor wholesale distributorship Dulaney’s Inc. An active civic leader, Mr. Dulaney believed that business standards and living standards were inseparable and that “our community life reflects what we are.” In 1971, two years prior to his death, he established the Luther T. Dulaney Fund to help meet the health care needs of those less fortunate.
Working through the collaborative efforts of the Health Alliance for the Uninsured, this Great Grant is making an impact on the lives of others. In Oklahoma County, approximately one in six residents is uninsured or underinsured. These individuals are less likely to receive preventive care and are more likely to be hospitalized for conditions that could have been avoided. Being able to provide access to radiologic services to this population is a step in the right direction to creating a healthier community. If you are interested in discovering how you can help your community, please contact us at 405/235-5603.
