Iowa Total Care Provides $168,000 in Grants to Make Provider Facilities More Accessible for People with Disabilities

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Oct 06, 2021, 07:00 ET

DES MOINES, Iowa, Oct. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Demonstrating a commitment to providing equal access to healthcare, Iowa Total Care has partnered with the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) to fund 14 providers in Iowa with grants totaling over $168,000 to help make their facilities more accessible to people with disabilities. The funding is part of Iowa Total Care's Provider Accessibility Initiative (PAI) designed to support Iowans with disabilities.

"Providing quality care to all members is our top priority, which is why we are pleased to partner with NCIL to award grants to Iowa providers," said Mitch Wasden, Iowa Total Care's CEO & Plan President. "We believe this initiative can help bridge the gap, paving the way for better access to healthcare for all Iowans."

Patrick Peters, CEO, Guthrie County Hospital, said, "With the generosity of the Iowa Total Care and NCIL Barrier Removal Fund grant, the hospital was able to add automatic doors at the hospital's cardiac rehab entrance along with the connector door between the hospital's lobby and emergency department. The addition of automatic doors in these high traffic patient areas truly did remove barriers. It is all part of our effort to improve patient accessibility to the medical services that they need. Thank you to Iowa Total Care for assisting Guthrie County Hospital in striving to accomplish our vision of: Continue to improve the health of the communities we serve."

The following providers received a grant through this initiative:

Historic Bluffs Family Practice, Dubuque
Guthrie County Hospital, Guthrie Center
Crossroads Behavioral Health Services, Creston
Heartland Pathways, Inc., Keokuk
Decatur County Hospital, Leon
Countryside Medical Clinic, Red Oak
Plains Area Mental Health Center, Le Mars
Siouxland Mental Health Services, Sioux City
CommUnity Crisis Services and Food Bank, Iowa City
Iowa Family Counseling LLC, Riverside
Hancock County Health System, Britt
Greater Sioux Community Health Center, Inc., Sioux Center
Exemplar Care, West Des Moines
Nashua Family Chiropractic PC, Nashua

The goal of the PAI is to increase the number of practitioner locations that meet minimum federal and state disability access standards. The initiative also helps foster stronger relationships and dialogue between insurers and providers to improve the patient experience and ultimately streamline the continuum of care.

Providers submitted applications to NCIL explaining their need for more accessible facilities and services. An Iowa Total Care Barrier Removal Fund Committee then selected award recipients based on the impact of the improvements on disability-related network adequacy as well as the number of Iowa Total Care members with disabilities impacted.

For more information about the grants and the provider accessibility initiative, visit: www.ncil.org/provider-accessibility-initiative/.

About Iowa Total Care
Iowa Total Care provides Medicaid healthcare coverage to eligible individuals in Iowa. Established in 2019, Iowa Total Care exists to improve the health of its members through focused, compassionate and coordinated care. Iowa Total Care is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, a diversified, multi-national healthcare enterprise. For more information, visit iowatotalcare.com.

SOURCE Iowa Total Care