About the Speaker
When Donna Thompson joined Access Community Health Network (ACCESS) as Chief Operating Officer in 1995, she was very familiar with the difficulties patients faced due to the lack of access to primary and preventive care. For more than 20 years, Ms. Thompson has been on the front lines of patient care delivery. Now CEO of ACCESS, a post held since 2004, she demonstrates daily how a focused commitment
to high quality community health care can save lives, revitalize communities, and preserve the possibility of a healthy life for hundreds of thousands of patients of all ages and backgrounds.

Spearheading Growth and Quality at ACCESS
By mission, ACCESS provides high quality, comprehensive community-based health care in communities that might otherwise lack these resources. In her six years as CEO, Ms. Thompson has led ACCESS to become the largest federally- qualified health center (FQHC) organization in the country. ACCESS serves more than 215,000 patients annually, 70,000 of whom are uninsured, in 60 health center locations across the greater Chicago area including suburban Cook and DuPage counties. In FY 2011, with a $136 million budget and 300 medical providers, ACCESS is projected to provide its patients with more than 820,000 medical visits and deliver close to 4,000 babies.

Under her leadership, ACCESS has developed a model of health care that helps patients navigate the gap between community-based care and other resources, both those in hospitals and in other community agencies. ACCESS is the only federally-qualified health center organization in Illinois to offer more than 20 specialty care services. ACCESS also operates five school-based health centers; six ACCESS centers are co-located with other organizations such as the Illinois Eye Institute, the Anixter Center and the DuPage County Health Department to better address patient concerns comprehensively. ACCESS is accredited by the Joint Commission, and was recognized by the United Way.

Other Acknowledgements
Ms. Thompson was named a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellow in 2003. She received the 2007 Chicago Athena Award for her leadership in developing community health and was recognized as one of Chicago United’s 2007 Business Leaders of Color. In 2008, Ms. Thompson received the Chicago National Organization for Women’s 2008 Outstanding Community Leader Award. Ms. Thompson serves on the Boards of Athena International and the Illinois College of Optometry, and is active in The Chicago Network. She is also a 2010 graduate of the Kellogg School of Management’s CEO Perspectives program.