Morgan County residents are days away from having access to medical care, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.
For the past year, the Morgan County Health Department and Passavant Area Hospital have attempted to bring methods and services from the SIU Center for Family Medicine to West Central Illinois.
MCHD Director Dale Bainter says a recent community health needs-assessment indicated an urgency for access to primary care for area residents.
Bainter feels the partnership with SIU School of Medicine meets this need.
“We’re trying not to duplicate service, so we are utilizing a lot of Morgan County Health Dept. staff. The primary care and doctors will be provided by Passavant and by SIU Center for Family Medicine. Whether it is a Medicare or Medicaid individual, private pay or insurance, anyone will have access to a primary care provider. It provides a comprehensive home where they can come for physicals, annual exams and sick visits,” says Bainter.
Primary care service is available for the whole family, including women’s health, children’s health and adults and geriatrics.
This isn’t the only partnership going on in the area. Bainter says the Morgan County STD Clinic was created after a health needs-assessment in 2014 identified a need for treating STD’s and STI’s. Bainter notes the STD Clinic has been very successful and extremely utilized in the community.
The SIU School of Medicine, which opens on August 29th, and Morgan County STD Clinic are both located inside the Morgan County Health Department at 345 West State in Jacksonville. To schedule an appointment, call 245-5111.