United Way to Lead Local Coalition on Health Care Access

ANDERSON, IN - United Way of Madison County, in partnership with local health care and non profit organizations and Covering Kids & Families of Indiana (CKF-IN), today announced the formation of the Covering Kids & Families Madison County Coalition.   The announcement was made at a community luncheon at the Anderson Community Schools Wigwam complex as part of Cover the Uninsured Week.

In conjunction with the announcement, Indiana Family & Social Services Administration and Indiana Department of Workforce Development provided outreach services via a mobile unit in the parking lot at 14th & John streets.  Such outreach activities will be key components of the primary goal of the local coalition: to reduce the number of uninsured children and families who are eligible for public health coverage, but remain uninsured.

Nancy Vaughan, UWMC president, announced that the organization has signed on as lead agency to provide staff coordination, marketing, reporting and fiscal management services for the coalition. A steering committee has been formed with representation and financial support from Community Hospital Anderson, Madison County Community Health Center, Saint John's Health System, St. Vincent Health, and state partners of CKF-IN. Additional steering committee members will assist with outreach opportunities and include Born Learning Connection, Community Access Network Partners, The Center for Mental Health, Gateway Association, Purdue Cooperative Extension and St.Vincent Mercy Hospital.

Representatives of the supporting organizations were on hand to participate in the launch: Don Apple, CFO of Saint John's Health System; Sheryl Delaplane and Teresa Rodebaugh of the Madison County Community Health Center; Dr. William VanNess, President & CEO of Community Hospital Anderson and Dr. David Roos, Executive Director of CKF-IN. Terri Rinker, Community Hospital Anderson Director of Reimbursement Cycle, and J.T. Torres, Saint John's Health System access staff, joined Rodebaugh in explaining the outreach work of local health care organizations.

"We are excited to add this service that is a natural fit for United Way's focus on education, income and health," said Vaughan. "This coalition joins our existing partnerships – Born Learning Connection that focuses on early childhood education, and the Community Access Network that focuses on financial stability - to further our vision of helping residents of Madison County achieve and sustain self sufficiency."

According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 46 million Americans are uninsured, which encompasses 9 million children.  In Indiana, the unemployment rate hit 9.2 percent in January based on data from the Department of Workforce Development. Indiana ranked 34th in the nation in 2007 for the number of children living in poverty; approximately 8 percent of Indiana children are uninsured.

CKF-IN is a statewide organization committed to ensuring that all children, adults and families eligible for Medicaid, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), the Health Indiana Plan (HIP) and other health coverage programs are enrolled. CKF-IN helps establish and operate community-based enrollment centers through the formation of local coalitions that currently operate in 20 counties that serve over 65 percent of families and children enrolled in Medicaid and SCHIP. CKF-IN reimbursements will help support the local coalition budget.

The steering committee has already drafted an initial work plan to include outreach to local agencies to offer enrollment services, increased awareness of and guidelines for available health care programs, monitoring of the local health care environment and policies and procedures that affect coverage and access for children and families, and recommending of policy positions and strategies that promote health coverage and improved access to health care.

United Way of Madison County supports human services throughout Madison County, Indiana and is governed by a 24 member volunteer board of directors. The organization has been a member in good standing of United Way of America since 1973. For more information, contact 765-643-7493 or visit the Web site at www.unitedwaymadisonco.org.

Source: United Way of Madison County