Haga clic aquí para obtener información en español sobre Project Access para pacientes.
Founded in 1996, Project Access is a ground-breaking healthcare volunteer initiative providing access to comprehensive medical care for low-income uninsured Buncombe and Madison County residents. More than 2,500 individuals receive healthcare through Project Access annually. The WCMS Project Access model has been replicated all over the country, with similar programs operated by organizations in over 30 states.
Project Access celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2021 and made a video about the program. Watch the video in English here and in Spanish here and learn more about the program, its impact and some of the people who have helped make it successful!
Our dedicated network of more than 700 medical providers along with Mission Hospital, local pharmacies, WCMS Interpreter Network Interpreters, mental health providers, community health navigators and other generous volunteers – all supported by donations from businesses and individuals in the community – provide healthcare through Project Access to individuals in Buncombe and Madison counties without reimbursement.
Project Access is not health insurance; it is however a way to help our community members stabilize their health so that health insurance is more attainable.
How do I qualify for enrollment?
How can I be referred?
If they are a participating provider, they will know the steps to take to get you referred. If they don’t participate and would like to, please refer them to our Providers page. If you don’t have a doctor, PA or NP you see regularly, see the list of area primary care providers here.
What is the enrollment process like?
Please make sure your provider’s office has your current mailing address to prevent delays! You will return the application we mail you to us (by mail, fax or dropped-off at our office) along with the following documents we need for verification: a copy of your photo ID (valid NC photo ID, current passport, Resident Card or Work Permit), proof of income (paystubs for the past 12 weeks or bank account statements for the past three months and a recent tax return (let us know if you don’t file taxes); if you are unemployed, your unemployment letter or your Social Security or Disability award letter) , and proof of residence (any bill with current address that shows you’ve lived in the area for six months, a lease agreement or property tax statement, or a letter of support from another organization if you are unhoused).
Our team will review your application and determine whether you qualify for Project Access. You’ll receive a letter in the mail informing you of the decision. We also let your provider’s office know, and if you are approved, we let any specialists know that your provider will be referring you to them.
What does Project Access cover?
These services must be recommended by a provider via a referral. It does not currently cover emergency room visits (or subsequent hospitalization), urgent care, dental, endocrinology or podiatry. Certain procedures may not be covered (depending on if the provider is willing to do so). Buncombe County residents are eligible for low-cost prescription drugs through Project Access.
All Project Access patients are eligible for durable medical equipment (such as crutches, CPAP machines, eyeglasses, orthopedic braces) up to $250 annually.
What happens if I get a bill?
If you get a medical bill for a service during your Project Access enrollment period, please email a copy of your bill to projectaccess@mywcms.org .
What about non-medical needs?
Project Access works with numerous other organizations in WNC to help connect our patients to services related to food, housing, help with utilities or home repair, transportation to and from medical appointments, childcare during medical appointments, employment, health insurance eligibility, and interpersonal safety.
Our staff are trained to help you navigate the system and connect you as needed to important services that contribute to your overall health.
Does Project Access provide interpreters?
Please have your doctor’s office call our Interpreter Network (WIN) at 828-274-0950 to arrange an interpreter. The interpreter can help you set up the appointment over the phone and attend the appointment in person with you. Video interpreters are also available.
Can Project Access help me obtain health insurance?
If you are eligible for health insurance, we will refer you to area organizations that specialize in health insurance enrollment, such as Council on Aging, Pisgah Legal Services and Hummingbird Insurance Company.
Where can I find a Primary Care Provider?
Western North Carolina Community Health Services (WNCCHS)
257 Biltmore Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801
828-285-0622
Dale Fell Health Center (part of Appalachian Mountain Community Health Centers)
7 McDowell Street
Asheville, NC 28801
828-257-4745
ABCCM Medical Ministry
155 Livingston Street
Asheville, NC 28801
828-259-5339
Blue Ridge Community Health Center
2579 Chimney Rock Rd
Hendersonville, NC 28729
828-692-4289
Blue Ridge Community Health Center – Arden
2695 Hendersonville Rd.
Arden, NC 28704
828-692-4289
Leicester Community Health Center (part of Appalachian Mountain Community Health Centers)
711 New Leicester Highway
Asheville, NC 28806
828-253-3717
MAHEC Family Health Center – Biltmore (see website for other locations)
121 Hendersonville Road
Asheville, NC 28803
828-257-4730
Mashburn Medical Center– Hot Springs Health Program
590 Medical Park Dr.
Marshall, NC 28753-6807
828-649-3500
Mars Hill Medical Center– Hot Springs Health Program
119 Mountain View Rd.
Mars Hill, NC 28754-9500
828-689-3507
Hot Springs Medical Center
66 NW US 25/70 Hwy.
Hot Springs, NC 28743
828- 622-3245
Laurel Medical Center – Hot Springs Health Program
80 Guntertown Rd.
Marshall, NC 28753-7806
828-656-2611
This list was updated March 2021. It does not include all primary care providers in the area, and WCMS does not have information whether each clinic is accepting new patients.
He was a talented doctor, compassionate healer, and visionary thinker, as well as an undergraduate of Amherst and Alcorn State. Dr. Blair graduated from Meharry Medical College and completed his internship, residency and first medical staffing in the U.S. Army where he rose to the rank of Major as Chief of Professional Services, 546th General Dispensary, while stationed in West Germany.
After coming to Asheville in 1990, Dr. Blair was a staff physician at the Buncombe County Medical Center and Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care. For a number of years, he served on the North Carolina Minority Health Advisory Council. The founder and medical director of the New Hope Community Health Center, Dr. Blair also served as medical director of the Three Streams Family Health Center. A pioneer working to achieve quality healthcare for all, his community service includes founding the Asheville Buncombe Institute of Parity Achievement as well as cofounding Building Bridges, Rites of Passage of Asheville, and The Drum 2000. Dr. Blair was a long-time member of the BCMS.
On December 4, 2008, the WCMS Foundation Board of Directors voted to establish a grant in Dr. Blair’s name to honor and remember him for his years of service. Following Dr. Blair’s specific request prior to his death as to how this grant would be used, the Dr. Charles Blair Health Scholar Fund provides scholarships for youth pursuing health careers. The Western Carolina Medical Society works in partnership with MAHEC, Asheville Buncombe Institute of Parity Achievement, the Blair Family and others to raise funds and provide scholarships to graduates of the MAHEC Medical Mentoring Program (MMMP).
If you would like to contribute to this fund, you can donate online or send a check to WCMS, 304 Summit St., Asheville, NC 28803. Please put “Dr. Blair Fund” in the memo line. For more information or to see if you qualify, contact us today.
MMMP creates a stepping stone to make your goals a reality.
The MAHEC Medical Mentoring Program (MMMP) is an internship program for high school seniors from under-represented communities in Buncombe County who are interested in pursuing a career in healthcare, including as a physician, pharmacist, dentist, physical therapist or physician assistant.
Watch the 2022 Hope Banquet and learn about the 2022 MMMP graduates.
The WNC Colorectal Cancer Screening Initiative (WNC CRCSI) provides vital colorectal cancer screening to average risk, uninsured, low-income patients between the ages of 45 and 75 in Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, Mitchell, Yancey, Transylvania, Rutherford, Macon, Jackon, Swain, and Polk Counties
The program is run by Digestive Health Partners (a gastroenterologist practice in Asheville) in collaboration with local federally qualified community health centers, WCMS’s Project Access, independent primary care offices, and the American Cancer Society. The program was founded by local physician, Dr. Michael Newcomer of Digestive Health Partners, who remains the medical director of the program. Started in 2019, the WNC CRCSI is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) housed within WCMS.
The American Cancer Society states that regular colorectal cancer is largely preventable and screening is one of the most powerful tools for preventing colorectal cancer. They estimate that 40 out of 100 deaths from late stage colorectal cancer are preventable if all adults aged 45 and older were routinely screened.
Participating community health centers provide uninsured, average risk patients age 45 or older with a free fecal immunochemical test (FIT)
Patients with a positive FIT who meet the program’s criteria receive a colonoscopy with no out-of-pocket cost.
WNC CRCSI patients who are under 65 years of age, below 138% FPL and who have been residents of Buncombe or Madison counties for at least one year qualify for Project Access® and can obtain hospital- based endoscopy services, colonoscopy, anesthesia, pathology and cancer treatment services at no cost. Patients who do not qualify for Project Access and have a positive FIT receive a colonoscopy with no out-of-pocket cost. Patients with a positive colonoscopy are then enrolled in a charity care program at one of the local hospitals to receive low-cost surgery and cancer care.
If you would like to contribute to this fund, you can donate online or send a check to WCMS, 304 Summit St., Asheville, NC 28803. Please put “WNC CRCSI” in the memo line. For more information or to see if you qualify, contact us today.
The WCMS Community Health Endowment was started in 1998 in recognition of the tradition of giving, compassion and caring of the physician families of Buncombe County. The Endowment was originally established through a partnership between the Buncombe County Medical Society (now the Western Carolina Medical Society) and the BCMS Alliance.
As a perpetual fund, the principal of the Endowment is a permanent and enduring gift to our community. Each year, earnings from the Endowment provide essential financial support to local health-related charitable programs serving communities throughout Western North Carolina.
In February 2013 the Western Carolina Medical Society Foundation and the Alliance approved a grantmaking partnership with The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (CFWNC) for our Endowment. Endowment grant funds are allocated through CFWNC, with a specific preference for allocating Endowment funds via their Human Services (formerly People in Need) and Janirve Legacy grants programs. Endowment funds go to support health-related programs in Western NC.
