At CommunityHealth in Chicago, demand for care has outpaced capacity for years.
Every appointment slot is filled. Time is truly of the essence. Patients rely on the clinic as a critical access point for primary care, specialty services, labs and other health supports. When a patient misses an appointment, the impact ripples far beyond a single visit.
For Alice Woo, Funder and Donor Relations Manager at CommunityHealth, missed and late appointments are not just a scheduling issue. They represent lost opportunities to meet urgent needs in a system already under strain.
“We know there are many reasons a patient might be late or miss an appointment,” Woo said. “Public transportation delays are common, especially for patients traveling long distances. But when demand is this high, those missed appointments feel wasteful because there are so many other patients waiting for care.”
The effect is felt not only by patients, but by staff and volunteers as well.
Read the full article by Sostento: From Missed Appointments to Meaningful Access: Strengthening Care Continuity in Chicago | by Sostento | Jan, 2026 | Medium