FADICA member The Assisi Foundation of Memphis awarded one million dollars to a new initiative to help health care “super-utilizers” in Memphis’ Region One Health system access appropriate care and improve health outcomes.
Super-utilizers are defined as people who most frequently use the emergency room – in this case 25 patients who visited an average of 85 times a year, or 20 times more than the average visitor. The initiative will also reduce costs for the system, the primary healthcare provider for the poor in the area, which has one of the highest poverty rates in the U.S.
“The Assisi Foundation invests only in projects that reflect the values of the Church, which teaches us that serving the poor and marginalized is essential to achieving true social justice,” says Assisi Foundation Vice Chair Charlie Schaffler, who also serves on the FADICA Board. “This investment will not only improve the health outcomes for the ‘super utilizers,’ but it will enable Region One to serve more of those people who truly need their services.”
