. DELTA ACCESS HAS A NEW HOME The Dumas office of Delta Access has relocated to 803 Hwy. 65 South in Dumas. The new location is in the medical clinic next door to the Delta Memorial Hospital. Serving both Desha and Lincoln counties, Delta Access originated in 2001 and was funded through a HRSA H-CAP grant to address the unique healthcare obstacles specific to this area. State-reimbursed programs such as Medicaid provide high quality comprehensive care, but only for a limited number of low-income adults. Vast sums of money are invested into medical care through local hospitals and safety net clinics, but services were typically expensive to provide, episodic in their impact, and disconnected from other healthcare resources. Coordinated access to healthcare services remained unavailable for the majority of low-income uninsured adults. At present, Delta Access Program’s target population encompasses persons who are uninsured, between 18 and 64, live in Desha and Lincoln counties, and are at or below the 200% poverty level. In-kind contributions from our network partners include donated office space in both counties, an IS system to track and monitor services, community volunteers, and donated medical / physician visits which in effect, help leverage community investment and resources to assure a return on community investment to the highest possible dollar. Health disparities are a major challenge in the health care infrastructure of the two counties. According to data produced by the Administration for Health Research and Quality (AHRQ), the counties have large minority population, and quantitative data on racial health disparities which match figures for the whole of Arkansas. In 2004, the Arkansas Minority Health Commission conducted the Arkansas Racial & Ethnic Health Disparity Study identifying that asthma, cancer, diabetes and heart disease are the leading cases of death in Arkansas. Minority populations are affected by a higher than average susceptibility to chronic illness, and coordinated access to health care is of great importance in diagnosing and managing the disparity. Over use of the emergency room in the Desha County hospitals have caused a financial burden that has an overall negative effect on the communities. Delta Access' (DA) mission is “to improve access to health care services for the residents of Lincoln and Desha Counties in the Arkansas Delta by providing information, resources, and services in order to educate, empower, and involve them in the management of their health.” The Delta Access Board of Directors approved a $25 enrollment fee to help sustain the services. “We are currently looking for sponsors to help those less able to pay their enrollment fees,” states Nancy Thompson the executive director of Delta Access. “Like most community based not for profits, Delta Access welcomes community support, whether it is money, donated medical equipment, volunteers…it is all needed and necessary to a sustainable program.” DA is unlike safety net programs in surrounding rural communities with a software powered enrollment system that tracks services accessed on a daily basis. This data unveils the real-life situations of rural uninsured Delta residents. It also brings clarity to the post-enrollment medical utilization behavior of enrolled patients, benefiting not only the patients themselves, but also the healthcare community as a whole. Thompson states: “This data reflects the story of what uninsured Delta residents face everyday but with the tears removed. Delta Access services and staff help to remove barriers that traditionally block access, creating a holistic approach, helping the whole person”. Thompson added: “What Delta Access does creates a ripple effect--Improving health builds and strengthens human capital, which in turn, also creates and strengthens social and economic capital.” Delta Access also has offices conveniently located in Star City and in McGehee at the Department of Human Services. If you would like more information, call 870-382-2091.