Leveraging community assets to combat health disparities in suburban counties in Chicago

Background: DuPage County (a collar county of Chicago's Cook County), is a suburb actively addressing rapid increase in poverty into their private sector health system. DuPage Health Coalition (DHC) is not-for profit collaborative of an extensive group of stakeholders and community members representing unique partnerships of hospitals, physicians, local government, human services agencies, and community groups with a mission of providing access to medical services to its growing low-income, medically uninsured residents. DHC builds on its community assets and thereby supports a program, Access DuPage which operates through three main strategies: medical home assignment; continuum of care; and emphasis of diverse community assets. Methods/Study Population: In conjunction with the Northwestern University School of Medicine and funding through NIH, the Patient Navigation Project has emerged. The Navigation Project focuses on navigating 600 uninsured suburban women from the point they receive an abnormal result for a breast and/or cervical cancer screening test through a diagnostic resolution. Results/Anticipated Results: Through communication and sound relationships, the Navigation Team connects patients with the American Cancer Society, local food pantries, local townships for rent and heat assistance, healthcare providers, etc. Tailored integration into DuPage County will pave the way for a self-sustaining community resource that can be a model for caring for the growing population of under-insured, and medically underserved. Through our strong community-campus partnership, we successfully built a navigation program that is participant-centered, culturally relevant, and most importantly relevant to the community which it serves.