Health

United Way works for a healthier community

Whether it is a neighbor without health insurance, a victim of abuse, or someone struggling with mental illness or an addiction, United Way is working to ensure everyone has access to affordable and quality care.

Over 20% of Champaign County residents report they do not have a usual place to go to receive medical care for routine wellness or acute illness or injury. Locally the number of those who are uninsured has increased while national statistics show the number of uninsured has decreased. Dental care for the uninsured and those unable to pay for services is a growing problem. Finding a provider willing to accept Medicaid patients needing dental treatment is almost impossible. Conversely, access to prenatal care is available but local experts say that pregnant women are not accessing services early enough in their pregnancies. Consequences for mothers and their babies are serious.

Almost 50% of adults in Champaign County report that they experience multiple days a month when their mental health is not good. More than 7 million Illinois adults are coping with a diagnosable mental illness. Health care providers voiced concern that the capacity of available mental health services is simply not adequate. A local particular cause for alarm is the lack of mental health services for children. In 2005, 358 children in Champaign County were hospitalized with a psychosis related diagnosis. This was up 190% from previous years.

Our Strategy

United Way is actively working to increase the number of services available to the uninsured and Medicare/Medicaid patients. We facilitated the fundraising for and connected community partners around the new Frances Nelson Dental Clinic, which sees patients who may not otherwise be able to afford dental care. This clinic helps keep hundreds of people out of the emergency room each year. Additionally, United Way has invested $681,933 into 18 health and well-being related programs administered by the following agencies: