About the Access to Care Program
The Access to Care (ATC) program is administered by the Suburban Primary Health Council. ATC is a non-profit primary health care program for residents of suburban Cook County and northwest Chicago who are lower-income, uninsured, and underinsured. ATC has proudly served our communities since 1988. Access to Care partners with physicians and hospitals all across suburban Cook County to offer health care services to our members.
Access to Care welcomes all residents in our service area regardless of their race, age, religion, country of origin, gender identity, orientation, physical and mental ability, or immigration status.
The 3 Core Benefits of the Access to Care Program:
- Unlimited $5 co-pay primary doctor visits (a local doctor is assigned based on zip code)
- Unlimited $5 co-pay lab and x-ray testing (at many sites throughout Cook County)
- $15-40 co-pay prescriptions (prescriptions are filled at most major pharmacies, like Walgreens)
Core benefits have been offered at the same co-pay rate for over 30 years!
Expanded Benefits of the Access to Care Program:
- $5 co-pay counseling sessions (for up to 8 sessions)
- $5 co-pay mammograms and breast ultrasounds
- Free diabetic test strips
- Free flu & pneumonia vaccinations
- Help navigating appointments with specialists
- Help connecting members with non-medical community services
- Help connecting individuals to Medicaid services, if eligible
For additional details about our services, visit the Member Benefits, Documents, and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page
Our History
The Suburban Primary Health Care Council (SPHCC) developed the Access to Care program in 1988 to deliver a system of primary care for the medically indigent in suburban Cook County.
SPHCC is a not-for-profit confederation of the Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County, Inc., the Cook County Department of Public Health, the Northwest Suburban Cook County Health Care Task Force, and the Park Forest Health Department. The Council received a planning grant from The Chicago Community Trust in 1987 to design a delivery system of primary care for the medically indigent in suburban Cook County. Based on the plan, the Trust awarded $525,000 to the Council to implement and evaluate a system of primary health care for low-income, uninsured residents of two demonstration areas.
The plan was to contract with physicians at a discounted rate to provide services in their offices to members enrolled in the Access to Care program. Contracts would also be developed with providers of lab, x-ray, and pharmacy services. Access to Care members would pay affordable co-payments. A de-centralized enrollment system was developed to enable potential members to enroll at convenient locations in the community.
The original structure of the Access to Care program has been proven successful for over 30 years due to the generous support and partnership of our doctors, intake locations, board members, donors, and staff.
Learn more about Access to Care in our recent Annual Report, “Now More Than Ever.”
Contact us at 708-531-0680 or info@accesstocare.org for more information about our program.