How to apply for CHESI Community Health Center (Sliding Fee) + Cross-Border Hospital Care — Financial Assistance (Alexander County)

Who it's for

Alexander County has had NO hospital since St. Mary's Hospital in Cairo closed in 1986. The local healthcare safety net is Community Health & Emergency Services, Inc. (CHESI) — a multi-site Federally Qualified Health Center headquartered in Cairo, providing primary medical, dental, and behavioral health care on a sliding fee scale (as low as a few dollars per visit). For hospital-level care, residents travel to Cape Girardeau, Missouri (Saint Francis Medical Center and SoutheastHEALTH / Southeast Hospital) or Paducah, Kentucky (Baptist Health Paducah and Mercy Health Lourdes Hospital) — each with its own financial-assistance program. DISTINCTIVE: this county has NO hospital of its own, so the local safety net is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). All FQHCs are federally required to serve everyone regardless of ability to pay and to charge income-eligible patients on a Sliding Fee Scale — fees can drop to a few dollars per visit. For hospital-level care, Illinois's Hospital Uninsured Patient Discount Act mandates free/discounted care at Illinois hospitals (free to ~200-300% FPL), and the out-of-state hospitals below each have their own financial-assistance / charity-care policies. Reach CHESI at 1-877-MYCHESI.

What you'll need

• Proof of household income (for the sliding fee scale)
• Proof of Alexander County / Illinois residency
• Photo identification
• Proof of uninsured status or insurance gap
• Medical bill or pre-treatment estimate

Where to apply

Renewals

annual (sliding fee redetermination)