News Release

HEALTHREACH RECEIVES $31,000 BAXTER INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION GRANT TO OPEN A SECOND CLINIC IN LAKE COUNTY

Agency Will Expand Access to Health Care for Residents of Western Lake County

WAUKEGAN, Ill., February 13, 2003 - The Baxter International Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Baxter International Inc., has awarded a $31,000 grant to HealthReach in Waukegan, which is the only free medical clinic in Lake County. The funding will enable HealthReach to establish a second clinic site in collaboration with a small social service agency in Mundelein called La Puerta Abierta (the open door). The new clinic will serve an unmet need for free medical care in the western portion of Lake County.

In Lake County, 71,000 people are uninsured and 49,000 have incomes below 120 percent of the poverty line, which is the eligibility cut off for HealthReach services. It is estimated that in Mundelein and surrounding townships, at least 5,000 individuals, mostly Latino, are living below 120 percent of the federal poverty line.

"A few patients travel to HealthReach from Mundelein and southwest Lake County, but the distance is a barrier to many low-income families, and that area's needs are greater than our Waukegan clinic could accommodate. At present, there is a three-week wait for a primary care appointment at HealthReach," said Richard Keller, M.D., chief executive officer of HealthReach.

By forming an alliance with La Puerta Abierta, HealthReach will establish the first free, primary-care clinic serving western Lake County. La Puerta Abierta was created in 1969 to help Latino immigrants with basic needs. The agency provides food, referral services and a limited, fee-for-service medical clinic. The food pantry will be divested to another local provider so that a comprehensive, primary-care clinic can be created. At the new site, HealthReach will establish a network of volunteer health-care providers, pharmacy services, a laboratory, a quality assurance program, and agreements with local providers for specialty referrals and testing.

Access to routine primary care is essential to cost-effectively managing chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. The incidence of these diseases is nearly double among the poor, Keller noted. Both naturally occur at higher rates among African Americans and Latinos, but they are also adversely affected by unhealthy lifestyles, which often go along with being poor. If these diseases are inadequately controlled, they can lead to serious complications, such as blindness, kidney damage, heart failure and stroke.

HealthReach has a record of achieving diabetes and hypertension control rates that compare favorably with private medical practices. Currently, 85 percent of HealthReach patients have their diabetes and hypertension under control, based on national standards for hemoglobin A1c and blood pressure. In its first year serving patients at La Puerta, the clinic aims to achieve an 80 percent control rate.

"We follow our patients very closely, continuously reinforcing the care," Keller said. "We give them a lot of personal attention to help them comply with medications and diet recommendations, since, being poor, they have so many significant demands on their time and attention."

"We are very pleased to support HealthReach's efforts to establish a second clinic in Lake County. They have a fine record of providing quality primary care to medically underserved people," said Patricia Morgan, executive director, The Baxter International Foundation. "The new clinic will make those services accessible to many more people who otherwise would have nowhere to turn for primary care."

HealthReach was established by community groups in 1992 to fill a gap in the local health-care safety net. The clinic provides comprehensive primary care and some specialty services through volunteer health-care providers, agreements with local doctors and area hospitals and a medication program. Last year, the clinic provided health care worth $1.9 million to 1,169 people. In addition, HealthReach runs HABLA (healthcare access by language advocacy), the only medical interpreter training program in Lake County, and MedAssist, a program to assist low-income individuals who are not HealthReach patients in accessing medications through pharmaceutical company programs.

As the philanthropic arm of Baxter International Inc., the Baxter International Foundation helps to increase access to health care in the United States and other countries. In 2001, foundation grants totaling $4.8 million improved access to care for children, the uninsured and the elderly, helped prevent child abuse and neglect, promoted health education, expanded education opportunities for health-care providers, and helped victims of global disasters.

The Baxter International Foundation has supported HealthReach with grants totaling $150,000 throughout its history. The foundation awarded $25,000 in 1992 for start up costs, $60,000 in 1996 for operating costs, $34,000 for a medication assistance program in 2000, and $31,000 recently for creating a new clinic site.

Baxter International Inc., through its subsidiaries, assists health-care professionals and their patients with treatment of complex medical conditions, including cancer, hemophilia, immune disorders, kidney disease and trauma. The company applies its expertise in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology to make a meaningful difference in patients' lives. Baxter employs more than 5,000 people in northern Illinois.

For information about volunteering at HealthReach, call (847) 360-8800.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Media Contacts: Raquel Powers, Baxter, (847) 948-4557 Dr. Richard Keller, HealthReach, (847) 360-8800