Will-Grundy Medical Clinic receives $544,000 from the Illinois Department of Public Health

JOLIET – Will-Grundy Medical Clinic (WGMC) has received a historic $544,000 grant allocation from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). WGMC was identified as a recipient of this award because of its status as a free and charitable clinic that is a good-standing member of the Illinois Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (IAFCC) and provides dedicated health care services to patients who are uninsured, underinsured, and insured with a lack of access.

This momentous State Funds Grant program was authorized by the Illinois General Assembly and the Governor to provide an appropriation to free and charitable clinics in Illinois for the fiscal year 2023. The grant is being administered through the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (IAFCC) is the grantee. In this funding cycle, the Illinois legislature appropriated $9,000,000 for this program to be expended during the one-year period from July 1, 2022, through June 30th, 2023.

As a grantee, WGMC will continue to assist in or make referrals for prevention, vaccination, and testing of COVID-19, as well as provide enhanced health care and specialized behavioral health services through the Free Clinic and Partnership Program, Equity Institute, and Housing, Healthcare, and Hope (HHH). This will significantly impact the lives of WGMC’s patient population, which consists of uninsured or underinsured people living with acute and chronic health issues through medical care, outreach, health education, screening and testing, oral health care, and behavioral health services.

WGMC has provided a medical home to the uninsured, underinsured, and those temporarily without access to healthcare for over 34 years. There is a significant need in Will and Grundy Counties, as these counties have a combined total of over 50,000 uninsured residents. With these generous funds from the IDPH, the WGMC can continue to build upon its culture of excellence. Through the 2020-2021 fiscal year, the WGMC Health Partnership facilitated 1,394 clinical patient visits, 34 patient surgeries, 668 pharmacy patients helped, and many collaborative efforts to meet client needs. The total annual value of all contributed services and services provided by WGMC was over $10.5 million. And in the 2021 calendar year, WGMC helped over 2,000 patients meet their medical needs. And to date, the HHH program has successfully served 220 participants during the 2021-2022 fiscal year. These participants have reduced their hospital utilization, decreased hospital emergency room use, found permanent housing, and/or accessed consistent health services.

“This investment in Will-Grundy Medical Clinic and other free clinics in the state of Illinois is timely, necessary, and greatly appreciated. We have been a critical component of the local public health system for a very long time and as we recover from the pandemic and continue to battle chronic disease we will need more investment and support for the betterment of our community,” commented Shawn Marconi, WGMC’s Executive Director.