Healthy Chatham Health Care Resource Guides Now Available

Date: Mon, 9 Mar 2009 07:30:22 -0400
From: Gene Galin
Subject: Healthy Chatham Health Care Resource Guides Now Available

The Healthy Chatham Affordable Health Care Task Force which is sponsored by the Chatham County Public Health Department has assembled a health care resource guide which lists a wide range of Chatham County health and medical resources. The guide lists providers, whether they accept Medicaid and Medicare, have discount programs for uninsured or underinsured patients, and what languages are spoken at the practice. Residents will be able to use the guide to help make decisions about health care.

Research has shown that those without health insurance are:

· Less likely to get screenings and check-ups,

· Less likely to follow through with treatments such as drug prescriptions,

· More likely to be hospitalized for illness that could have been prevented,

· More likely to put off necessary health care due to inability to pay, and are

· More likely to die in the hospital than those who do have health insurance.

Mary Linker, chair of the Affordable Health Care Task Force Chair says, “With the increase in the unemployment rate, more and more people in this county are losing their health insurance. That’s why it’s so important for residents to know what resources are available to them. Hopefully this guide will help with that.”

English and Spanish language resource guides will be available for reference in February at county libraries, all health department locations, Chatham Hospital, pharmacies, and local non-profit agencies. Chatham residents will also be able to download the guide at www.chathamnc.org/publichealth