Project Addresses Health Disparities in Louisville Neighborhood

In the Louisville, Ky., 40203 zip code, life expectancy is just 65 years—15 years shorter than the citywide average—and more than half of residents are living below the federal poverty line. A new initiative, the Louisville Community of Care Project (LCCP), is seeking to address these disparities by providing coordinated, person-centered solutions that address both medical needs and the broader social factors that influence health.

One partner in the project is Accessia Health, a national charitable patient assistance organization providing assistance to people with rare and chronic health conditions, whose president, Tiara Green, recently spoke with Healthcare Innovation. 

Accessia Health is providing financial assistance of up to $2,500 per eligible individual to help cover the cost of health screenings and diagnostic services, with a focus on conditions that disproportionately affect the community, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and cancer. 

Green explained that Accessia Health  has been around for over 35 years. “As an organization, we knew what the barriers to care were from the personal experience of our founder, and we continued his legacy over the years,” she said. “We started by helping individuals with hemophilia afford their healthcare, and over the years we've added many additional conditions to that, and now we assist with the cost of medications, as well as health insurance premiums, out-of-pocket costs or co-pays to see the physician, or durable medical equipment — those things that could be a barrier to care, as well as transportation to get to their appointment.”

The LCCP initiative, which is connecting local faith leaders, healthcare providers, and community-based organizations, is led by the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC) in partnership with the University of Louisville Trager Institute.

This initiative focuses on preventing chronic illnesses through earlier, more personalized access to care. By expanding access to preventive health services and providing financial relief for residents in one of Louisville’s most underserved neighborhoods, the LCCP is advancing its mission to ensure high-quality, compassionate care for people facing serious health challenges.

Accessia has partnered and administered programs for state-based agencies before, but this is the first time that it is focusing on a specific community. “This allows us to really home in on what this community needs,” she said. 

“I often say that sometimes the zip code is just as important as someone's genetic code. So if we were to look at the 40203, zip code, they have a life expectancy that's 15 years less than most neighboring zip codes and counties,” Green said. “We also know that 50% of the residents are living below federal poverty lines. So if you think about a family of four, that's about $32,000, roughly, a year, and many are living below the federal poverty line. When you have lower income, you're less likely to get into care, you are more likely to have chronic conditions and chronic ER visits. These individuals are seeking care at the ER instead of with a primary care doctor because of financial barriers that can lead to unmanaged conditions.”

Green said that in the Louisville Community of Care Project, Accessia is trying to ensure that individuals are giving their diagnosis earlier.

“In this project, we make those clinical community linkages. There have been longstanding studies that show the impact of clinical community linkages, where you have community-based organizations and healthcare systems working together to ensure people are getting into care," she said. "The Coalition to Transform Advanced Care and the University of Louisville Trager Institute are utilizing a community health worker who is helping individuals in that area navigate care. It is a person who lives in that area, who looks like the community that we are trying to reach in partnership with three faith-based organizations who are the trusted resource in that area as well. So when you put our community partners together, we hope to see success over the next three years in getting these individuals into care.”

Researchers plan to follow 100 people over three years to study the impact of the intervention on patient outcomes. “We’ve gone through all of the IRB requirements to follow these individuals for three years,” Green said. “We talked about addressing health disparities, improving access to care, tackling some of those social determinants of health, and looking at measurable outcomes and building trust through faith leaders. We hope to be able to prove success in this so that we can then replicate in an area with similar populations."

The full list of Louisville Community Model of Care Project partners:
• AARP
• Accessia Health
• ARCHANGELS
• CenterWell
• Chrysalis Ventures
• Gilda’s Club
• Hosparus Health
• Kentuckiana Regional Planning & Development Agency 
• Norton Healthcare
• University of Louisville
• University of Louisville Trager Institute