Baxter International Foundation Grant for Homeless Healthcare Access Improvement

A Safe Haven Foundation Receives Grant from Baxter International Foundation to Improve Healthcare Access for the Homeless

October 16, 2015 (Chicago, Illinois) A Safe Haven Foundation has received a $89,100 grant from the Baxter International Foundation. These funds will support the agency’s “Healthcare for the Homeless” initiative.

“Thank you to the Baxter International Foundation for their incredible contribution and for aligning with us and joining in our mission to improve the health and wellness of homeless and impoverished individuals in need. Through this grant, we can amplify our efforts and ability to transform lives from homelessness to independence. This grant helps fill a crucial healthcare gap by providing our homeless residents immediate on-site access to necessary health insurance navigation assistance, assessment, prevention, direct care, and follow-up services. Most of our residents have neglected their health due to their social and economic circumstances, therefore, they have not had regular access to a primary care physician. ASH’s on site health clinic will also be able to serve as a referral source to the medical district for those residents who may need a higher level of care and/or a medical home in the community, thereby reducing the overutilization of emergency care services and high rates of recidivism. This grant allows us to improve lives and to provide another important component to our comprehensive approach while working towards our goal to stabilize the lives of the families in need that we serve at A Safe Haven and in the community” said Neli-Vazquez Rowland, President of A Safe Haven.

A Safe Haven’s Healthcare for the Homeless Program was implemented in 2014. Through this program in-person counselors and an on-site registered nurse provide necessary health services to low-income and homeless individuals from across the Chicagoland area. This includes providing external health insurance marketplace enrollment services, referrals to the agency’s in-house registered nurse, as well as comprehensive support services. Since the program was implemented A Safe Haven has assisted over 1 million Illinois residents become insured for the first time, while providing Continuum of Care services to nearly 5000 individuals per year.

The Baxter International Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Baxter International Inc., helps organizations increase access to healthcare in the United States and around the world. The foundation, established in 1981, focuses exclusively on increasing access to healthcare particularly for the disadvantaged and underserved in communities where Baxter employees live and work.