Louisville companies develop model for delivering health services to families living in affordable housing communities

Pilot Initiative provides healthcare services to underserved markets and communities of color

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, UNITED STATES, June 15, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Local companies join forces to address growing affordable housing crisis and need to bring more services to underserved markets

Three Louisville-based companies have joined forces to ensure underserved families living in one of the area’s newest affordable housing communities have access to preventive and ongoing medical care. Through a partnership between LDG Development, Norton Healthcare, and Firstsource (formerly MedAssist), residents living in Jefferson Green, and soon Jefferson’s Landing, will benefit from an innovative model that not only provides access to a high-quality place to live but also streamlined access to healthcare services and personalized support for attaining the healthcare coverage needed to maintain good health.

“LDG Development was founded based on our belief that everyone deserves a quality place to live,” said Chris Dischinger, co-founder and co-principal of LDG Development. “For more than 25 years, LDG has developed quality housing that residents are proud to call home. Through this partnership with Norton Healthcare and Firstsource, we are building a national model and expanding our definition of quality to include access to services from two of the region's premier healthcare organizations. The result of this initiative will be improved health outcomes for one of the area’s most underserved communities.”

Jefferson Green serves families earning up to 60% of the area median income, or $46,500 annually for a family of four. Leasing activity at the 312-unit site began in November 2019 and was 100% leased months before construction was completed in December 2020. The overwhelming success and demand for new affordable housing units led LDG Development to fast-track their plans to build Jefferson’s Landing at a neighboring site.

Construction at Jefferson Landing’s is underway and LDG expects to welcome its first resident in 2022. Once complete, the development will provide 240 units of 1, 2 and 3 bedrooms for families earning up to 70% of the area median income. All Jefferson Green and future Jefferson’s Landing residents will have access to the services and care onsite that will be provided by Norton Healthcare and Firstsource.

Beginning today, Norton Healthcare will provide a variety of mobile health care services that are specific to managing and preventing specific chronic illnesses that are common in underserved communities, including diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases.

The services will also focus on women’s health and pediatrics. Many of the households at Jefferson Green are headed by a single parent, most of whom are female, and focusing on women’s health and pediatric care is imperative to preventing future chronic illnesses and other health issues.

Residents at both communities will have access to these services onsite at no cost to the patient. COVID-19 and other vaccination programs also will be provided.

“We are excited to partner with LDG and Firstsource on a first-of-its-kind partnership designed to expand access to primary care, preventative care, and Medicaid in areas where access to health care has traditionally been lacking,” said Russell F. Cox, president and CEO of Norton Healthcare. “The partnership is an important component of ensuring primary care for everyone, which is one of Norton Healthcare’s five imperatives to address health and racial inequities that we announced in June 2020.

“Through COVID-19 testing and vaccination, we learned how important taking our services out into the community is for access to care,” said Cox. “We understand that it is often difficult for working mothers and single parents to get to a doctor’s office, so we are taking health care services to them.”

Another key component of the partnership is facilitating Medicaid enrollment, which will be led by Firstsource, a leading patient advocacy organizations serving more than 600,000 patients nationwide. In 2020, Firstsource helped more than 83,000 Kentuckians gain access to healthcare services via Medicaid. Based on their work with similar underserved populations, the company believes a significant percentage of the families living at Jefferson Green are likely to be uninsured, despite qualifying for Medicaid. Firstsource has built a national reputation for excellence in patient communications and engagement, and sees these qualities as a key to the success of the project.

“This project represents a critical next step in addressing some of the fundamental social determinants that are at the heart of healthcare inequity,” said Randall Shafer, Executive Vice President & Global Head of Hospital Business at Firstsource. “In our work with patients across the country facilitating access to financial resources like Medicaid, we see that when patients get good care, they are not only happier and healthier, but also better positioned for success in the workplace and at home. By simultaneously addressing these interrelated issues of housing, insurance and access to care, this community will set a new standard for supporting disadvantaged communities much more effectively.”
Dischinger agrees.

“As the country’s largest developer of affordable housing with more than 17,000 units across the country, including 2,253 in Kentucky, we have an opportunity to expand this model into dozens of other communities that are working to bring more support to families and seniors living in our developments,” said Dischinger. “The fact that this model will be developed in Louisville - the city where LDG is headquartered and the place that many of our employees call home, is a tremendous source of pride.”

This pilot initiative will span 18 months. During this period, residents will have access to
monthly services in July and August and weekly services beginning in September. As the program is fully implemented, the three organizations will use the data and information they collect to inform other key decisions as they each consider other options that further ongoing efforts to meet the needs of the community.

“We look forward to seeing this program develop and to learn from the data how we can improve the services we provide our patients and best meet their health care needs,” said Kelly C. McCants, M.D., executive director of the Institute for Health Equity, a part of Norton Healthcare. “Social determinants of health truly impact the extent to which people can live healthy lives. Removing barriers is how we close the gaps in getting people the care they need, especially in our most vulnerable communities.”

In addition to Jefferson Green and Jefferson’s Landing, through this partnership, Norton Healthcare will also be providing select preventive care services at Brookstone - one of LDG’s local senior communities. Organizers anticipate beginning the program in the fall.

Mayor Greg Fischer says that the partnership between LDG Development, Norton Healthcare, and Firstsource demonstrates the leadership role Louisville’s private sector can play in solving challenging issues that are confronting many cities.

“We know that the same individuals who struggle to find affordable housing – many of them African American – are also more likely to face health problems, lack access to healthcare and other inequities. If we want to help all Louisvillians reach their full human potential, it is important that we address inequities across all systems,” the Mayor said. “This partnership between LDG Development, Norton Healthcare and Firstsource is a great step toward doing that.”

About LDG Development
LDG Development is the nation’s largest developer of affordable housing. The company was founded more than 25 years ago by Chris Dischinger and Mark Lechner based on their shared belief that everyone deserves a quality place to live. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, the company has created more than 17,000 units of high-quality affordable housing for working families and active seniors in seven states. The work of LDG is supported by more than 100 employees who are in the company’s Louisville, Kentucky; Austin, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee and Atlanta, Georgia offices. For more information about LDG Development, please visit www.ldgdevelopment.com.
About Norton Healthcare
Norton Healthcare is a leader in serving adult and pediatric patients from throughout Greater Louisville, Southern Indiana, the commonwealth of Kentucky and beyond. The not-for-profit hospital and health care system is Louisville’s third largest employer, with more than 17,000 employees, over 1,500 employed medical providers and approximately 2,000 total physicians on its medical staff. The system includes five hospitals with 1,907 licensed beds, seven outpatient centers, 16 Norton Immediate Care Centers, eight Norton Prompt Care at Walgreens clinics and an expanded telehealth program. It provides care at more than 300 locations throughout Kentucky

and Southern Indiana. The hospitals provide inpatient and outpatient general care as well as specialty care including heart, neuroscience, cancer, orthopedic, women’s and pediatric services. A strong research program provides access to clinical trials in a multitude of areas.

In 2020, Norton Healthcare was named by Healthiest Employers as the fourth healthiest place to work in the country and has twice been awarded an honorable mention for the C. Everett Koop National Health Awards. In 2020, Norton Healthcare’s five hospitals and Norton Cancer Institute
were named LGBTQ Healthcare Equality Leaders by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, earning a top score of 100 on the Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) for the third year in a row. More information is available at NortonHealthcare.com.

About Firstsource
Firstsource Solutions Limited, an RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group company (NSE: FSL, BSE: 532809, Reuters: FISO.BO, Bloomberg: FSOL@IN), is a leading provider of transformational solutions and services spanning the customer lifecycle across Healthcare, Banking and Financial Services, Communications, Media and Technology and other industries. The Company’s ‘Digital First, Digital Now’ approach helps organizations reinvent operations and reimagine business models, enabling them to deliver moments that matter and build competitive advantage. With an established presence in the US, the UK, India and the Philippines, Firstsource acts as a trusted growth partner for over 100 leading global brands, including several Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 companies. www.firstsource.com

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Christi Lanier-Robinson
LDG Development
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