The Drexel Medicine Women's Care Center will be providing onsite services to assist patients in enrolling in health insurance, thanks to the extension of a grant from the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association.

The center was initially selected as a Get Covered: Family Planning grantee in January 2014 and awarded a one-year grant of $90,476, which allowed the staff to integrate Affordable Care Act education and enrollment services into its clinical sites. The grant has now been extended with additional funding to allow the center to provide on-site services through the next full ACA open enrollment period that will run from November 15, 2014 – February 15, 2015.

All of the center's staff, from phone operators to clinical providers, has been educated about the ACA and enrollment. In addition, there are two full time staff members that are Certified Application Counselors and can help individuals apply for medical insurance, public assistance and determine eligibility for tax credits and other cost reductions.

The Women's Care Center specializes in gynecologic and family planning care for women with limited or no health insurance. It serves as a one-stop shop for patients with multiple health care needs.

"We are much more than a clinic," says executive director Sandra Wolf, MD, who is also an associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. "We have approximately 18,000 patient visits a year, all to an underserved, urban population that is very diverse ranging from newly arrived refugees just starting their assimilation into our culture to the working poor of Philadelphia with all of the health problems we associate with entrenched poverty and early onset of chronic diseases. We have a large number of safety net programs and projects that support the care of our patients and add a lot of extra services."

For more information, visit the Women's Care Center online or call 215.762.7824.