Program Provides Health Care To Uninsured
Donations Keep Program Alive Despite Expired Grant

POSTED: 4:03 pm EST November 9, 2006

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. -- One Connecticut city is working to be the healthiest in the state by offering health care to its uninsured residents.

Through the Partners in Health Program, uninsured New Britain residents can receive medical treatment, see specialists and fill their prescriptions.

New Britain resident Ann Jones said that before she found the Community Health Center, she had prescription drug bills that cost more than $300 per month.

"I had to make choices to either get my food or my medicine. And now I buy food and get medicine," said Jones.

The three-year-old program works to provide patients with a medical home.

"People no longer need to go to the emergency room for their primary care. They can come have a medical home with their primary care provider," said Margaret Flinter of the Community Health Center.

Channel 3 Eyewitness News reporter Eric Parker reported that 12,000 people were connected with one of the medical homes through the program.

"There was a tremendous reservoir of good will out there in the medical community. They want to contribute but they're concerned about how to do it and do it fairly and we said, 'No problem, we'll organize it,'" Jones said.

Through the "good will," the program was able to provide 80 specialists to care for the uninsured.

The program's officials hope that through donations, the program will continue although the federal grant that started it expired.