Helping the uninsured

[ProSense]

Newark creating health plan for uninsured

The Associated Press

NEWARK, N.J. - The mayor of New Jersey's largest city isn't waiting to see whether national health care reform is successful in Washington, D.C.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker is moving forward with a pilot program with the pharmaceutical industry and philanthropist Teresa Heinz to provide primary health care and prescription drugs to uninsured residents. The wife of former presidential candidate John Kerry is helping fund the initiative.

Heinz Family Philanthropies has funded similar initiatives in Chicago, California and Clarksdale, Mississippi.

Organization president Jeffrey Lewis says the goal is to craft a cheaper way to care for the uninsured before chronic illnesses like diabetes require costly hospital stays.

This is awesome!

Thank you Teresa.