Project Access is a physician-led, community-based “best practices” initiative that has been successfully replicated in over 30 communities nationwide. The program concept first began in Buncombe County, North Carolina when Dr. Susan Landis saw a need to improve access to specialty medical consultations for low income, uninsured patients in her county. The model has been modified to meet the needs of each community that adopts it. Thurston County is the first model that attempts to treat the whole individual offering medical, hospital inpatient/outpatient, mental health, physical therapy, pharmaceutical, acupuncture, massage therapy, and other healthcare services.

The Thurston-Mason County Medical Society has partnered with a number of stakeholders who bring their expertise and energy to the table in order to ensure success.

Project Access is based on donated services with everyone doing “their fair share.” Provider volunteers receive no reimbursement for services. Hospitals agree to provide inpatient and outpatient services to Project Access patients without charge. Project Access enables patients to get the specialty care they need and allows primary care physicians to get the support they require to improve patient health outcomes and serve more low income uninsured patients.

We deliver these services in the spirit of our core values: Respect, Advocacy, and Responsibility.

Our objectives are to:

Increase access to medical, mental health, physical therapy, hospital, and pharmacy, and other healthcare services for low income, uninsured patients in Thurston County;

Improve participating patient health outcomes;

Ensure that patients maintain a primary care home;

Work with patients to transition them to permanent healthcare coverage;

Gain the participation of all county physicians and other providers so that everyone is doing their “fair share” for low income, uninsured patients;

Acknowledge the efforts of our provider volunteers throughout the community;

Leverage specialty care to increase healthcare capacity for the low income, uninsured; and

Decrease inappropriate use of the Emergency Room.