BOSTON, March 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank of America, Partners HealthCare and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers today announced a $5 million program to improve access to quality health care for low- and moderate-income individuals and families. The $5 million in funding will be provided by the Bank of America Charitable Foundation.
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As the state's health reform law is implemented, more low- and moderate- income individuals will become insured and have access to primary and preventive care. At the same time, the state is facing a critical shortage of primary care physicians. This need will only increase in the state's community health centers, which are expected to play an even more important role under health care reform.
At the North End Community Health Center today, Governor Deval L. Patrick and Senate President Robert E. Travaglini announced their support for the program and underscored its importance.
The Bank of America Charitable Foundation's grant will:
* Attract more than 50 new doctors to primary care practice in
Massachusetts;
* Create openings for 65,000 additional patients, or roughly one million
new patient visits over the next five years, and;
* Create new programs to train primary care physicians.
"With the passage of the state's landmark health reform legislation, hundreds of thousands of people will have insurance for the first time," said Patrick. "But health care coverage without access is meaningless. Bank of America has taken a bold step in helping the state meet this challenge, and I commend the bank's commitment to ensuring that patients have access to primary care."
"As a company, we believe that healthy individuals and communities help create strong businesses," said Bank of America Chief Marketing Officer and Northeast President Anne M. Finucane. "Massachusetts has made a huge investment in the health of its citizens with the passage of its health care reform law. We applaud them and are proud to take this opportunity to join Partners HealthCare and the Commonwealth in helping the state's low- and moderate-income citizens realize the promise of health care coverage."
Massachusetts' elected leadership also expressed support for the program.
"Massachusetts is once again leading the way in guaranteeing good health care for all our citizens," said Senator Edward M. Kennedy. "This initiative will enable 65,000 more people to obtain the health care they need in the communities where they live and work. I especially congratulate the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, Partners HealthCare and Bank of America for creating this model public-private partnership to increase the number of primary care physicians in the Commonwealth."
Added Travaglini, "We need primary care doctors and community health centers to help encourage more residents to access the health care system long before it becomes an urgent and expensive medical necessity. Partners, Bank of America and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers recognize that this investment will not only increase access but will also help bring down overall health care costs."
"As our historic health care reform law takes hold this year, we need to be ever-conscious of filling critical gaps in service -- even as we expand coverage to the uninsured," said House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi. "I am pleased that Partners and Bank of America have leveraged resources to expand access to health care in a way that clearly identifies and responds to community needs. I know that our community and our neighbors will benefit from having more physicians working in health centers."
According to Partners President and CEO Dr. James J. Mongan, the average wait for a new patient to obtain an appointment with a primary care physician is nearly five weeks, and the percentage of patients waiting for more than two months for a primary care appointment has increased by more than 50 percent since 2005.
"Nationally, the percentage of medical school students choosing to practice internal medicine has fallen from 55 percent in 1998 to only 20 percent in 2005, resulting in a serious shortage of primary care physicians nationwide and in Massachusetts," said Dr. Mongan. "This makes access to preventive care that keeps people healthy and out of the hospital more difficult and puts the promise of universal health care at risk."
Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers President and CEO James W. Hunt Jr. added that the problem is more severe in community health centers, which often do not have the financial resources to recruit and retain primary care physicians.
"Right now, approximately 10 percent of primary care positions are vacant in community health centers," said Hunt. "We estimate that at least 100 primary care physicians are needed to meet the needs of existing patients and the newly insured."
About Bank of America's grant and the program
The grant is part of Bank of America's corporate giving program and is being announced shortly after the company unveiled Bank of Opportunity™, the theme for its new brand positioning. The new branding reflects Bank of America's unique role in helping individuals, businesses and communities around the world realize opportunities to achieve their goals.
The Bank of America Charitable Foundation's grant is one of several significant philanthropic donations that will be announced in the coming weeks. Each grant will address critical needs of communities throughout the U.S. in which the bank operates.
The grant will support an effort, led by Partners HealthCare and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, to improve access to quality health care by addressing the shortage of primary care physicians, particularly at community health centers. The grant will provide loan repayment for doctors who commit to practice at one of 24 community health centers in eastern Massachusetts.
Through the program, medical students, residents and practicing health center physicians who agree to work in primary care in community health centers for at least two years will receive funds to help repay their educational loans -- up to $25,000 a year for three years. This maximum $75,000 in loan repayment represents approximately 60 percent of the average medical school debt of $130,000.
About Bank of America Corporate Philanthropy
In 2005, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation embarked on an unprecedented $1.5 billion philanthropic goal over the next 10 years. The bank has announced it will donate $200 million in 2007, making Bank of America one of the most generous corporate donors in the country. The bank approaches giving through a national strategy called "neighborhood excellence" under which it works with local leaders to identify and meet the most pressing needs of communities. Through Team Bank of America, bank associate volunteers contribute more than 650,000 hours each year to improve the quality of life in their communities nationwide. For more information about Bank of America Corporate Philanthropy, please visit http://www.bankofamerica.com/foundation.
About Partners HealthCare
Partners HealthCare is an integrated health system founded by Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. In addition to its two academic medical centers, the Partners system also includes community and specialty hospitals, community health centers, a physician network, and home health and long-term care services. Partners is one of the nation's leading biomedical research organizations and a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Partners HealthCare is a non-profit organization.
About the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers
The Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers is a statewide association representing and serving the needs of the state's 52 community health centers through grassroots advocacy, technical assistance with state and federal regulatory and public policy issues, training and education, and information technology development. The League also serves as a source of information for policymakers, the media, and the public on community-based health care in Massachusetts. Community health centers serve one out of every nine patients in the Commonwealth, providing comprehensive primary and preventive care, including medical, dental, social and mental health services.
Photo: NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050720/CLW086LOGO-bPRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
SOURCE: Bank of America
CONTACT: Petra Langer of Partners HealthCare, +1-617-278-1031,
planger@partners.org ; or Ernesto C. Anguilla of Bank of America,
+1-617-434-7308, ernesto.anguilla@bankofamerica.com
Web site: http://www.bankofamerica.com/
http://www.bankofamerica.com/foundation
