Transportation is often cited as a primary barrier to health care access for low-income families. WellCare of Georgia, a subsidiary of WellCare Health Plans, Inc., is supporting efforts to reduce transportation barriers with a $3,000 investment to Family Promise of Effingham County, a nonprofit committed to helping homeless and low-income families achieve sustainable independence.

The investment will be used to assist Family Promises' clients with transportation and child care needs.

In a recent study of 200 children with a history of missed medical appointments published in the Journal of Community Health, 51 percent of parents identified transportation barriers as the primary reason for their children's missed appointments. Additionally, parents who reported issues with transportation did not fill their children's prescriptions at a rate that was more than twice that of parents who did not have a transportation barrier.

"Greater access to health care has been related to better health status, more frequent use of preventative services, and lower hospitalization rates," said Roman Kulich, WellCare's region president, Georgia and South Carolina. "We are committed to supporting organizations like Family Promise to help ensure that people get the care they need, regardless of income."

"We are grateful for WellCare's grant to help support our clients with transportation and child care needs," said Joe Tallent, president, Family Promise^® of Effingham County. "Without these types of investments our clients would not be able to secure full-time employment, and without employment they would not be able to get out of their current homeless situations."