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June 2022 – 45 Years of CCHCC’s Grassroots Organizing for Health Care Access and Justice!

June 2022

En Español: Esta es una carta solicitando una donación para el trabajo que hace CCHCC. Si tiene preguntas sobre esta carta, o para mas información sobre donando a CCHCC, llame a (217) 352-6533 y pregunte por Chris o Adani.

Dear Friends,

This year, Champaign County Health Care Consumers (CCHCC) is celebrating 45 years of grassroots organizing for health care access and justice! Thanks to your continued support and involvement, CCHCC has had a definitive and lasting impact on our local health care system and human services since 1977.

You might be surprised to know that many of the local programs and services that improve our community’s health, and that we now take for granted, came about as a result of CCHCC’s community organizing work. This includes services such as school breakfast programs in county schools, hospital financial assistance programs for low-income people, nurse-midwives programs, prenatal care for low-income women, public health for county residents, free dental care for low-income county children, and more! These, and many more programs, are lasting legacies which CCHCC, with your involvement and support, has given our community.

CCHCC Board and Staff – 1986.

In addition, over the past 25 years, CCHCC has worked on significant environmental issues including protecting the Mahomet Aquifer, as well as forcing a clean-up of the toxic site in Champaign’s 5th & Hill neighborhood (our 5th & Hill Neighborhood Rights Campaign, which still continues its work). Additionally, CCHCC has helped bring the benefits of the Affordable Care Act to our community, helping to sign up thousands of community members for affordable health insurance. We have also started and continue to participate in ground-breaking initiatives to reduce incarceration rates and provide services in the Champaign County Jail, as well as working with individuals going through reentry in our community, following incarceration in prisons. And, during the pandemic, we have been working to help keep our community informed and to expand access to resources for hard-hit individuals and families, including providing direct financial assistance as a result of grants we were able to get.

From its inception, CCHCC has been committed to improving the health care system by making it more responsive to consumer needs. Often, this has required uncovering abuses within the systems and challenging unfair policies. Even though these protests have received the most media attention and fanfare, CCHCC is proudest of the program initiatives and positive developments with our local health care system that are a direct result of our work – work that involves bringing consumers together with health care providers to build enduring programs and services that improve people’s lives and health.

It is this history and depth of experience that makes it possible for us to help consumers navigate the health care system on a day to day basis. Knowledge of the policies surrounding health care programs means that we are uniquely able to help clients with very difficult cases. When clients encounter obstacles, we can provide a new perspective on the problem and offer solutions that are not obvious, or insight that prevents an even bigger problem from arising.

CCHCC Staff and Interns – 2018.

Thanks to your support and involvement – whether as a contributor, a volunteer, a Task Force member, or someone who responds to CCHCC’s calls to action – CCHCC has had a tremendous impact on our health care system over the past 45 years. For 45 years, we have mobilized our community to improve the health care system and health care policies at the local, state, and national levels. Our longevity and our track record over the past four and a half decades has equipped us well for the struggles ahead. Our work is more important than ever!

We stand by our founding premise that meaningful reforms of the health care system can only take place when consumers are active in the decision-making process.

Join us in continuing our work for another 45 years. You can help by making a financial contribution, as well as by helping to let others know about CCHCC as an important resource in our community, and spreading the word about us.

Imagine what we might be able to accomplish with your support and involvement!

DONATE NOW!

Sincerely,

Claudia Lennhoff
Executive Director