Background

Local communities are struggling to care for an increasing number of uninsured individuals.  In most communities, care is not organized to promote prevention and early intervention, coordinate care and services, spread financial risk among various providers, or monitor access and quality of care.  Pools of public and private funding to subsidize care remain inadequate, despite growing community needs.  Consequently, many uninsured individuals are left to seek care in emergency rooms, often as a last resort in an unmanaged episodic manner.  The costs of such care are borne by care-giving institutions, local governments, and ultimately, local taxpayers.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation developed the Communities In Charge initiative to build on the success of Hillsborough County and other communities that have thoughtfully developed programs to meet the needs of the uninsured.  The initiative provides communities with financial and specialized technical assistance to develop innovative health care delivery programs for improving access and quality of care to the uninsured residents in their communities.