PRESS RELEASE: HCAN releases 2021 Annual Report: a year of partnership

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Health Care Access Now (HCAN) spent 2021 developing new partnerships and strengthening established ones. Its Annual Report elaborates on its partners in learning and in new programs, Ohio Pathways Community Hub network partners, and many more.

• HCAN’s Community Health Workers (CHWs) and staff focused on working with clients to establish suitable housing in 2021. They also stressed the importance of clients finding medical homes, which means they have relationships with providers for all their health needs.
• As the COVID-19 pandemic evolved, so did HCAN’s COVID workgroup, which became Voices from the Frontline. Consisting of local CHWs and HCAN staff, the group evaluated and created new Educations for clients to be used by all Pathways Community Hub (Hub) members.

HCAN trains and coordinates CHWs, as well as acting as director of the regional Hub.  The Hub is an evidence-based system that acts as a framework for CHWs to identify and remove clients’ barriers to health and wellness. CHWs work one-on-one with vulnerable community members to improve health outcomes and build health equity.

2021 was a big year for Health Care Access Now (HCAN). Dedication and commitment from staff and board members helped strengthen established partnerships and forge new ones.

HCAN’s Annual Report touches on program highlights, such as Community Health Workers (CHWs)—both in HCAN and as part of its network of partner agencies—working with clients to establish stable, affordable, and suitable housing. CHWs also emphasized the importance of clients finding medical homes. When a person has a medical home, it means they have relationships with providers for all their health needs.

“I am most grateful for the tenacious team at HCAN. Without their unwavering determination and focus, the achievements of the past year would not have been possible,” says Sarah Mills, CEO of HCAN.

HCAN’s community partners, such as the Hub Community Advisory Council, which includes members from health agencies across the area, worked to address topics such as culturally competent health providers and increasing CHW engagement with active fathers during pregnancy and maternal visits. And the committee formerly known as the COVID-19 workgroup evolved to become Voices from the Frontline, which developed more effective and up to date COVID Educations for clients. 

And, the Ohio Pathways Community Hubs (Hubs), an evidence-based system that acts as a framework for CHWs to identify and remove clients’ barriers to good health outcomes, came together to form a network, with the goal of supporting, growing, and sustaining the Hub model in the state. HCAN acts as the director of the regional Hub.

“[HCAN’s] Senior Leadership Staff has blossomed, molded by the challenges thrust upon it by COVID….They have successfully transformed our care models to meet the demands of our times and fulfill our mission to improve the access to and delivery of healthcare for Greater Cincinnati’s medical underserved populations,” says Dr. Robert Collins, HCAN Board Chair, 2022.

The partnerships nurtured by HCAN brought about new programs—such as CHWs working within the judicial system—and allowed them to identify issues that keep Cincinnati’s most vulnerable citizens from good health outcomes. HCAN’s leadership looks forward to another year of progress.