Beth Llewellyn, executive director of Health Care Access, spoke to Lawrence Central Rotarians about the mission and the services of this “safety net” clinic for low-income and uninsured individuals living or working in Douglas County. Llewellyn grew up in Lawrence and returned to take charge of Health Care Access in June of 2015. Llewellyn has 25 years of experience in health care administration and has a strong personal conviction that good health care should available to everyone. The clinic operates on a sliding fee scale with 26 percent of the people served being unable to pay anything. Unfortunately, this number is increasing.
Clinic services include primary care, chronic disease management, counseling and psychotherapy, referral coordination, prescription assistance, resource navigation management, case management, wellness management, and on-site physical therapy. Some 59 percent of the people served are at or below the Federal Poverty Line. Many of them suffer from hypertension, diabetes, or mood/behavior disorders.
Health Care Access, located at 330 Maine Street, has a staff of fifteen and an operating budget of $950,000 and is governed by a private board of directors. The organization works with a number of health care related partners that make up a network of health care assistance and expertise. In addition to fees and donations, financial support comes from the State of Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the City of Lawrence, Douglas County, and the United Way.
What is the biggest challenge or need? Beth Llewellyn urged support of the expansion of Medicaid in Kansas. More information is available on Health Care Access at healthcareaccess.org.
