Gwinnett Coalition creates website to help uninsured county residents

Gwinnett Coalition, a community development organization, created a website to help uninsured and underinsured residents find nearby affordable health providers.

Credit: Gwinnett Coalition

Credit: Gwinnett Coalition

Gwinnett Coalition, a community development organization, created a website to help uninsured and underinsured residents find nearby affordable health providers.

Finding health centers in Gwinnett County could be getting a little easier.

In August, the community development organization Gwinnett Coalition launched Gwinnett Health Finder, a mobile-friendly website created to help uninsured and underinsured residents find nearby health centers.

The website was created in partnership with the Gwinnett Newton Rockdale Public Health Department to improve health care access, Gwinnett Coalition President and CEO Renee Byrd-Lewis said.

“We’re working on health equity,” Lewis said. “So, (we are) trying to raise the bar and provide access to resources to those in the community who need it (and) to remove the barriers ... that prevent them from accessing the resources that they need.”

According to 2020 U.S. Census data, Gwinnett’s uninsured population of 15.6% is slightly higher than the state rate of 15.3%.

“When health conditions go untreated, things that can be managed through a doctor’s attention or clinics attention, they can grow into serious and costly health problems,” Lewis said.

Using the website, residents can locate a range of county health care providers such as adult, pediatric, and mental health care. The centers are located on a county map, so users can see their precise location. Telemedicine options are also available.

The organization’s health equity team is continuing to look for new ways to help Gwinnett’s underserved communities, Lewis said.

“We’re trying to really target the work of the health equity team in being that front facing person who can help direct people to the resources,” Lewis said.