Continuing its second year in the Network’s offerings is the Partners for Adults In Need of Services (P.A.I.N.S.) Program. Due to the success of its sister program, the A.C.H.E.S. Program, the Network and its partners decided to increase the target population to include uninsured adults.  So they launched the P.A.I.N.S. Program in April 2008.           The P.A.I.N.S. Program  provides medical vouchers for acute, non-emergent medical care to uninsured adults who qualify financially.            The program is provided in partnership with Grand County Public Health. “This is not a permanent fix, it’s more like a Band-Aid,” says Brene Belew-Ladue, Director of Public Health. “Our hope is that this will be a sustainable program until an alternative community answer to access to health care can be attained.”           The Network and Public Health are working with the community to determine a collaborative, comprehensive community-health system for  the uninsured, low-income population of Grand County.             That Grand County and Colorado residents are in need of this sort of help became clear in recent studies released by a quarterly journal of the Colorado Health Foundation, called Health Elevations (Winter, 2008).  Colorado ranked 32nd in the nation for the percentage of working age adults not covered by private or public health insurance, the publication states. Even more alarming, it ranked 44th in the nation for the percentage of children not covered by health insurance. These numbers are mirrored in Grand County.           The P.A.I.N.S. Program, and other programs and services provided by the Network, are funded solely through grants and  philanthropy. Therefore, vouchers will be available on a limited basis.           To determine if you meet the financial qualifications, call Grand County’s Public Health or Home Health at 725-3288.