IMPACT MATTERS

Addressing the Problem: A Lack of Affordable Healthcare

Despite the fact that a growing number of Utah residents are uninsured or underinsured, and more and more companies of all sizes are finding it difficult to offer their employees adequate health benefits, United Way of Salt Lake (UWSL) believes reasonable solutions to this enormous social problem can be found.

To that end, United Way of Salt Lake is addressing the problem of a lack of affordable healthcare from multiple angles. We are bringing together business, government and nonprofit leaders to create large-scale changes in the social conditions that are fostering the problem. And our Community Partners work every day to address the unmet healthcare needs in our area.

Financial Stability Council

Our Financial Stability Council, comprised of high-level government, business and community leaders, has created five working groups that are focused on issues related to financial stability. One working group is focusing on finding broad-reaching strategies to make health benefits affordable for all Utahns. The Council is creating strategy recommendations this summer, which will be presented to the Governor, legislators and the community this fall.

Sealants for Smiles

Sealants for Smiles is an initiative successfully developed and implemented by UWSL. The program is based on the idea that preventing dental disease is much more cost-effective than treating it. For every $1 spent on prevention, $14 is saved in future treatment costs. The program provides oral health education, dental screenings and dental sealants to elementary school children. Since its inception, the program has provided oral health education to more than 3,600 children and has placed dental sealants on 2,000 children.

Recently, the Sealants for Smiles Foundation, headed by Dental Select, assumed fiscal and program management for Sealants for Smiles. This is a very exciting development for UWSL, because Dental Select will be able to expand the program statewide, impacting even more children.

Community Partners

UWSL’s Community Partners are powerful allies in making critical healthcare available to low-income children and families. For example, one of our Community Partners provides dental screenings to preschool children. All of the children who have moderate to severe dental problems (more than 700 children in a six-month period) are referred for treatment. Some children are in need of extensive treatments that may even require sedation, which is very expensive. Fortunately, these costs are covered for low-income families who do not qualify for any other assistance.

Through another UWSL Community Partner, nearly 900 people have received prescription medication assistance in the past six months. This partner, we are happy to report, is able to leverage $1 of funding into $6 worth of medications.

Chronically homeless individuals receive comprehensive healthcare services with the aim of stabilizing their situation and providing them with the foothold from which they can gain self-sufficiency. Additionally, these individuals receive help in completing the daunting application and paperwork process to receive the public assistance for which they qualify.

Clearly, the lack of affordable healthcare is an enormous problem for our community. Nonetheless, UWSL and our many partners are finding solutions. Please join us as we lead the effort to be the catalysts of change.