In an effort to extend coverage to the estimated 14,500 uninsured residents in St. Lawrence county, Fidelis Care has partnered with Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center in Ogdensburg.

Fidelis Care is a Catholic non-profit health insurance agency that provides services for underserved communities across New York. Operating in St. Lawrence county since last year, the organization is hoping to reduce the number of uninsured residents while saving money for hospitals and other care facilities.

“We saved over $14 million in insurable cases at a hospital in Syracuse,” said Tom Julian, a Fidelis Care regional marketing director overseeing the North Country, speaking of the successes the organization has achieved.

The organization is the largest government programs based insurance company in the state and they hope to have operations in every county within the next couple years. They cover more than 700,000 New Yorkers.

Fidelis Care employees will be at Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center every Monday from 9am to 3pm helping to answer patient’s questions and facilitate enrollment in government insurance programs.

“When someone enters the hospital without insurance, we can speed up the process by being in the hospital,” said Mr. Julian.

Furthermore, representatives with the organization will visit people’s homes or work if they are unable to see them during their Monday hours. “We are trying to make it easy for people to do and maintain their healthcare,” said Mr. Julian.

Currently the organization is seeking additional staff to beef up their coverage of the county.

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