Across South Carolina, doctors, hospitals, drug companies, churches and
nonprofits have started dozens of efforts to help the uninsured and those
on Medicaid get the health care they need. Connecting patients with those
efforts, however, can prove difficult.
So the Charleston-based Palmetto Project, armed with a $216,000 state
grant, has started a Web site and a toll-free phone line with a database
of information on agencies and doctors who can help.
"There are plenty of programs out there to help the uninsured and
people on Medicaid get help," said Steve Skardon, Palmetto Project's
executive director. "There's nowhere they can go to find those resources
unless they're clever researchers."
Palmetto Project has been setting up the database for the program for
months. The South Carolina Healthcare Information and Referral Network is
now available in 14 counties, generally along Interstate 26, including
Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester.
The organization hopes to expand the network to all 46 counties by the
end of the year. The network will operate with a mix of workers and
volunteers.
The Web site is now available at www.schealthcare.org. Those without
Internet access can contact the call center at (888) 998-4646.
The telephone hot line will be available during business hours. After
hours, people who need information can visit the Web site.
The database can search for services by zip code. It will include a
listing of doctors and specialists who see Medicaid or uninsured patients.
The list will also show their hours, whether they have multilingual
services, and access to public transportation. In addition, the database
will show whether the doctor or clinic charges on a sliding scale or
provides the uninsured services at no cost.
The database will include information on prevention and education
programs, support groups, and church and community outreach efforts. It
will also provide assistance in obtaining literature that describes health
conditions and steps people can take to manage them.
In addition, the network will include a searchable database of 475 free
and discounted prescription drug programs and links to information on
Medicaid eligibility and Medicare prescription drug coverage.
The Palmetto Project is a nonprofit that encourages ideas to solve
various community problems, and health care has long been one of its main
targets. In 1993, for instance, it started Commun-I-Care, the
Columbia-based charity that provides drugs and doctor visits to the
working poor.
"It's something we've wanted to do for a long time," Skardon said of
the new network. "We've never been able to get the money together to do
this thing."
That changed last year when state Rep. David Mack, D-Charleston,
included the grant in the state budget. Mack will chair a statewide
steering committee that will oversee the program.
Mack said the network will reduce unnecessary emergency room use by the
uninsured while encouraging more preventive medicine.
"The services are there, but people who need them don't know how to
find them," Mack said. "We expect this will lead to more appropriate use
of existing medical services among the uninsured, while expanding
participation in activities that might prevent illness or better manage
existing chronic conditions."
Reach Jonathan Maze at 937-5719 or jmaze@postandcourier.com.