Alameda County Health Care Safety Net Reaches More than Half of the County's Uninsured.

First-Ever Baseline Assessment Highlights Accomplishments but Shows More Must be Done to Close the Gap in Access to Care

OAKLAND, Calif. -- A newly published report from the Alameda County Access to Care Collaborative (ACACC) shows that the health care safety net in Alameda County is serving more than half of the uninsured in the County, having met the needs of more than 105,000 Alameda County residents in 2007. Findings from the report, titled "Increasing Access to Health Care for Low-Income Uninsured Residents of Alameda County, California," will be presented to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors Health Committee on Monday, Mar. 23, at 9 a.m. in the Board of Supervisors Chambers, Room 512 5th floor, Alameda County Administration Building, 1221 Oak Street, Oakland, CA.

According to the report, Alameda County benefits from a strong network of federally- and state-funded health care provider organizations that have missions to serve the uninsured, people on Medi-Cal, and low-income people. Additionally, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors historically commits a large percentage of the county budget to maintain access to free and affordable health care for its lowest-income residents.

The report shows that even more must be done to improve access to care for Alameda County residents. For example, the baseline assessment found that for the uninsured, wait times for primary care could be anywhere from 1-1/2 to 4 months, and as long as 6 months for specialty care. The report also found that more than 41,000 uninsured went to the emergency room (ER) with the average cost per person for an ER visit costing $1,100.

"If we want to close the gap in the access to care, we need more focus on primary and preventive care and on making our fragmented health care system more effective and efficient," said Supervisor Alice Lai-Bitker, chair of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors Health Committee. "But the economic downturn and state budget threatens to cripple our efforts because of reduced funding for critical services at a time when the number of people who don't have or have recently lost their health care coverage is increasing. In these troubling times, we need to improve and expand the safety net, not cut back on it."

This baseline assessment is the first of its kind ever undertaken. The goal of the study is to provide a tool for countywide planning and goal setting, to form a basis of discussion to explore ways to optimize the safety net for Alameda County's diverse population, and to quantify where Alameda County stands in relation to universal coverage and access to quality health care for all County residents. To show its support for this year's "Cover the Uninsured Week," which is taking place Mar. 22-28 in cities and towns across the country, the Collaborative selected Monday, Mar. 23 to present its findings to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors.

"With all we do, the safety net is completely overwhelmed," said Keith Carson, fifth district representative on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. "Cover the Uninsured Week is a perfect time to reassert the County's commitment to maintain a strong safety net for all its residents. We must continue to work with everyone in our community to make sure we accomplish that mission."

The report was a joint project undertaken by all Collaborative members (see below).

A copy of it can be obtained by contacting the Access to Care Collaborative at http://www.infoalamedacounty.org/ or by calling [phone].

About Alameda County Access to Care Collaborative

Alameda County Access to Care Collaborative is dedicated to expanding health coverage and increasing access to high quality care for residents throughout Alameda County. The collaborative includes several local entities including: the Alameda County Health Care Services Agency, Alameda County Behavioral Health Services, Alameda County Social Service Agency, Alameda County Public Health Department, Alameda Alliance for Health, Alameda County Medical Center and Alameda Health Consortium.

About Cover the Uninsured Week

A project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Cover the Uninsured Week is the nation's largest mobilization on behalf of America's 46 million uninsured. Cover the Uninsured Week seeks to raise awareness about the need to cover America's uninsured, amplify diverse voices, demonstrate support for change, and demand solutions from our nation's leaders. The seventh annual Cover the Uninsured Week (www.covertheuninsured.org) is taking place Mar. 22-28, 2009, in cities and towns across the country and will bring together business owners, union members, educators, students, patients, hospital staff, physicians, nurses, faith leaders and their congregants, and many others to show their support for Americans living without health coverage.