RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Breaking Barriers to Care: A Community of Solution for Chronic Disease Management
JF The Journal of the American Board of Family
                Medicine
JO J Am Board Fam Med
FD American Board of Family Medicine
SP 311
OP 315
DO 10.3122/jabfm.2013.03.120236
VO 26
IS 3
A1 Sanders, Jim
A1 Solberg, Bill
A1 Gauger, Michael
YR 2013
UL http://www.jabfm.org/content/26/3/311.abstract
AB For 10 years the Medical College of Wisconsin and Columbia St. Mary's Hospital have joined together in a partnership to work within some of Milwaukee's most impoverished neighborhoods. Beginning simply by providing health care through a free clinic, the partnership soon was confronted with numerous examples of barriers to care being experienced by patients. A community-based participatory action process allowed the local population to give voice to the local realities of barriers to care. Here we combine our anecdotal clinical experience, the neighborhood's input, and an example of a successful program from a low-resource international setting to create a novel approach to treating chronic disease in uninsured populations. This model of care has been successful for 2 reasons. First, the model shows good health outcomes at low cost. Second, solid community partnerships with care providers, churches, and other groups have been formed in support of the model, ensuring its credibility and sustainability.