Esperanza Health Centers announced that its Medical Home Care Coordination Program – which received a $60,000 Improving Access to Health Care grant from The Chicago Community Trust in February – has significantly improved access to affordable primary healthcare services for Chicago’s medically underserved southwest side neighborhoods. Esperanza’s proportion of patients receiving primary care follow-up seven days after hospitalization or an emergency department visit increased from a baseline of 36 percent in December 2012 to 53 percent during the month of July 2013. Access to timely primary care following a hospital visit has been proven to reduce future hospital visits and result in lower healthcare costs. Esperanza Health Centers is a Federally Qualified Health Center located in Chicago’s Little Village and Chicago Lawn neighborhoods that will serve 21,000 low-income individuals during 2013.