Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act provides local support to those most in need of health care
Boston, MA – (April 16, 2010) The South End Community Health Center has received a Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPA) grant in the amount of $304,385. The program, Los Niños Cuentan, allows the health center to make outreach, conduct enrollment and retain 1,500 uninsured Latino and homeless children within Boston into health care.
“This is an exciting program at a critical time, as the current State Children’s Health Insurance Program and Medicaid outreach and enrollment are not effectively reaching uninsured Latino children,” said Bob Johnson, Executive Director at the South End Community Health Center. “The project goals include outreach to the most vulnerable and underserved populations in Boston to facilitate access to health insurance and to primary healthcare services.”
WHEN: Tuesday, April 27, 2010
11am to 1pm
WHERE: South End Community Health Center
1601 Washington Street, 2nd Floor
Boston, MA 02118
There is a multipronged approach to reaching the constituency. Los Niños Cuentan will allow the health center to hire, train and deploy culturally competent community health workers (Promotoras) to engage community residents in community venues offering information, referral and follow-up. The Promotoras will target the Latino community for specialized outreach strategies; partner with grassroots community-based organizations to do on-site Virtual Gateway enrollments. In addition, a cadre of Latino volunteers familiar with the South End Health Center WIC, Pediatric and Obstetrics programs will use incentives for finding cases and referrals.
With enlarged enrollment, the South End Community Health Center will enhance pediatric practice and increase access to health center services. The Pediatric services will identify means to enhance capacities and orient services toward whole families to better retain children in primary care. There will be assigned case managers to families who are identified as at-risk of losing insurance or underutilizing primary care.
Each patient will receive holistic care by connecting those using WIC and Obstetrical services to Los Niños Cuentan Promotoras and Case Managers and to Pediatric services.
About South End Community Health Center:
Established in 1969, South End Community Health Center (SECHC) is the largest provider of care to Greater Boston’s Latino population. More than half of employees at SECHC are bilingual in Spanish and English. SECHC is a community-owned and operated non-profit heath center governed by an all consumer Board of Directors. Serving a diverse population of 15,000 patients, SECHC users face significant barriers to care and have limited access to affordable, quality services. Sixty-five percent of SECHC clients have income levels at or below 200% of poverty, with 38% below poverty and 27% between 101% and 200% of poverty. Seventy-two percent of clients are enrolled in MassHealth or Medicare, 13% receive free care, 12% have private insurance and 3 % are self-pay. Forty-four percent of SECHC patient population is non-English speaking. SECHC’s annual budget is $8.4 million.
