Focus Area 2 – Focusing on Retention (4 grants)

CA ($850,000) Alameda Health Consortium will work with eight Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), as well as school-based clinics, to improve the retention of Medicaid and CHIP benefits for children in Berkeley, Oakland, Haywood and Freemont, California. The grantee will use a variety of methods to alert families about the need to renew their coverage and to provide renewal assistance. Materials and assistance will be available in five languages – English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese and Cambodian – reflecting the diversity of the community.

MI ($814,801) Michigan Primary Care Association will use a technology-driven model to deliver renewal assistance to families with children enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP who are served through nine community health centers in eight Michigan cities. Working with data from the State data warehouse, health centers will use text messaging and voice message broadcasting to remind families coming up for renewal. They will assist them with the renewal process online and over the telephone.

NV ($547,442) Access to HealthCare, Inc. will focus on providing bilingual (English and Spanish) enrollment and renewal assistance. The grantee will develop and produce English- and Spanish-language informational materials, PSAs, and videos that will be used in its outreach efforts and will enhance its existing Website. The grant will also fund training to expand the network of individuals able to assist families in applying for Medicaid and Nevada Checkup (CHIP) coverage. Application and renewal assistance will be made available through the existing toll-free Help Line and with the use of Skype capability to help families in rural Nevada communities.

NY ($1,000,000) Community Service Society of New York will use grant funds to hire additional “facilitated enrollers” to provide direct enrollment assistance to families and will designate 8 to 10 as “retention specialists.” Efforts will be focused on African American and Hispanic families, which have the lowest retention rates. Outreach methods such as the use of customized reminder postcards in five languages, emails, text messaging and direct person-to-person contact will be used. The State’s internet-based tracking system for community-based facilitated enrollers will be used to monitor and advance the performance of retention specialists.

Grants awarded in focus areas 3, 4 and 5 on next page.

Focus Area 3 – Engaging Schools in outreach, enrollment and renewal activities (7 grants)