Mission Hospital McDowell's MATCH Program connects community members to needed services
Access to healthcare is everyone’s concern, and Mission Hospital McDowell (MHM) partners with local nonprofit CareReach to eliminate barriers to care and close care gaps in our community through the MATCH (McDowell Access to Care and Health) program. MATCH team members help neighbors who are low-income, elderly, or experiencing other challenges, receive equitable access to care and scores of other services. This includes critical, routine, and preventive care that supports their good health.
If a person is underinsured or uninsured, getting care can become a real challenge. Other barriers include lack of transportation, childcare challenges, difficulties getting time off from work to attend appointments, and problems accessing internet service or a computer. The MATCH program, led by Program Manager Amy Stevens since its 2014 inception, (coinciding with the passage of the Affordable Care Act), was established to address these obstacles. It’s funded through multiple foundations and receives some state and federal funds as well.
Many people need help navigating our sometimes-complex healthcare system, especially when they try to learn whether they’re eligible to enroll in programs, such as insurance through the ACA, Medicaid, and Medicare. MATCH team members are certified ACA Marketplace navigators, who help people enroll by going to events at multiple locations so applicants can easily apply.
When North Carolina passed Medicaid expansion for people 18-64 years of age a little over a year ago, the great news was that many more state residents became eligible. As of this past April, 650,000 are now covered by Medicaid, thanks to expansion. However, along with Medicaid expansion came many questions from community members about eligibility for healthcare programs, how to enroll, and how to use their healthcare benefits.
“Applying for these programs can be complicated,” explains Stevens. “We can see if individuals qualify now for programs they may not have been eligible for in the past, and offer guidance on others, such as ACA health insurance and Medicare. Additionally, we’re invested in continuing to be present with community members in whatever process they’re navigating.”
MATCH is about more than healthcare access. The program’s enrollment specialists work to connect those in need with everything from housing assistance, transportation, and guidance around chronic mental or physical health issues to employment, safe housing, tax assistance, and financial literacy.
MATCH has proven itself indispensable in times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricane Helene. During Hurricane Helene, MATCH collaborated with Foothills Food Hub and West Marion, Inc. to distribute essentials like food, water, flashlights, propane, and more to communities in need. The program helped residents navigate the process of applying for FEMA aid (even going to their homes if they couldn’t make it out), and assisting with disaster unemployment assistance, debris removal, and home repairs.
MATCH staff remain key referral sources for FEMA partners, the Emergency Operations Center, and other responders, providing local resource navigation and care coordination to ensure continued community support. One example of what MATCH does: The program helped an 80-year-old gentleman who had been living in his truck after Helene destroyed his home. The MATCH team helped him apply for and access FEMA funds, secure D-SNAP (disaster food assistance), housing, fuel assistance, and ongoing care coordination.
MATCH’s outstanding outcomes include improved physical, behavioral, and social health, a reduced number of uninsured in our community, and fewer Emergency Room visits, thanks to greater preventive care access. The program also significantly strengthens connections among patients, medical providers, and community agencies. Finally, MATCH meets community members where they are and is rooted in true compassion for patients.
Currently, there’s concern about a threat to needed enhanced premium tax credits (EPTCs). These help more than 24 million Americans who don’t have employer-based health insurance, including 979,000 North Carolinians, get coverage through the individual marketplace. EPTC recipients include working families, small business owners, children, and those managing chronic conditions.
We, along with many other healthcare companies, are calling on Congress to extend these tax credits, which are set to expire at the end of 2025.
To learn more about MATCH’s critical services, call (828) 659-5289 or visit the Mission Hospital McDowell MATCH website.
Lee Higginbotham is Chief Executive Officer of Mission Hospital McDowell in Marion. He is an accomplished healthcare leader with nearly three decades of diverse experience in healthcare. A native of Charlottesville, Virginia, Higginbotham earned his Master of Health Care Administration (MHA) from The Medical College of Virginia and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. He resides in Marion. Lee is most proud to be a husband to his best friend and father of three remarkable children.