Other Outreach Tips

Experiences to Share

We proclaim May as "Health Coverage Awareness Month" in DareCounty each year. The purpose is to raise awareness about health coverage programs offered by the agency and to increase communication with area health care providers. During the workshop we had guest speakers from DMA, Managed Care, EDS, Social Security Disability, the Patient Advocate Foundation, Mental Health, and Vocational Rehabilitation.

We distributed flyers/applications to area schools for a "back-pack" campaign and articles in the local newspaper and government access channel will run through out the month. We felt May was a good month following Child Abuse Prevention Month and allowed the schools to be a resource before they dismiss for the summer.
-- Bonnie Drewry, Dare County

I collaborated with the Cooperative Extension Consumer Educator, School Nurses, Children's Services Network, and Caregivers Support Task Force to form a support group for grandparents raising grandchildren.
-- Joan Keuper, Rutherford & McDowell Counties

The Extension Agent/Family & Consumer Sciences contacts the HCC when she has credit meetings for daycare providers. She invites the HCC to set up an outreach booth at these meetings.
-- Brenda Simpson, Greene County

We met with employees of the city and county when insurance premiums drastically increased to see if they qualified for HC/NCHC.
-- Rose Edmonds, Edgecombe County

Purchased a mascot for the program and had a contest to name him - ( used an owl and named it 'OWL BE HEALTHY')
-- Diane Keener, Macon Co.

I've participated in CHANGE (Communities Helping All Neighbors Gain Empowerment) which is a grassroots organization of multicultural groups of people of faith from teens to 80's from about 40 houses of worship. This group is modeled after the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) founded in 1940 in Chicago.

CHANGE is active in other areas of NC, i.e. Charlotte, Durham and Raleigh. CHANGE's agenda is solving the problems that communities share and developing strong citizen leaders. I spoke at a recent meeting and prepared packets of information for the committee members with materials on Health Check/Health Choice.
-- Nadine York, Forsyth County

I work with other departments within the Health Department to reach children.
--Mitzi Ward, Columbus County

Talking to parents one-on-one in the clinic areas of the Health Department has been most rewarding. The parents feel they know you when they call.
-- Terri Bowers, Stanly County

We do an educational class at the Health Department for new moms. We include the "newborn project" in our presentations. We cover selecting a doctor to using a Medicaid card and other tips. When the baby gets here they already know us.
-- Wilma Young, Haywood County

Making easy access to applications by keeping a supply of English and Spanish applications in the front lobby of the DSS.
-- Priscilla Allison, Cabarrus County

We have information about Health Check/NC Health Choice on our county website.
-- Terry Goodwin and Eleonora Milligan, Columbus County

I keep my eyes open for outreach opportunities. Through the local paper, I learned of a family who had a child that had just been diagnosed with a serious illness. The family had little/no health insurance and needed to have expensive surgeries and therapies. I mailed the application to the local post office box. The family now has coverage and peace of mind.
-- Amy Williams, Dare County

A local hospital foundation assists with annual enrollment fee.
-Myra Johnson & June Koenig, Bladen County

From "NC Covering Kids:
A Retrospective"
(A report on the RWJ Covering Kids grant outreach activities of 1999-2001)

(Below are excepts from the Overall Lessons and Conclusions. Please visit that section of the report for the full list of recommendations and tips.)

Coalitions tips
We found that broad-based coalitions and program champions supported by staff that can follow through were critical to getting the program off to a successful start, both in generating enthusiasm for the program and getting the word out through many different channels quickly.

However, we believe that coalitions should not be relied upon as the principal way to sustain outreach and enrollment activities on a day-to-day, long-term basis.

Over the course of the project, coalition members and other partners have provided in-kind and financial support for outreach and funds to cover Health Choice enrollment fees for many families, and served as strong advocates for expansion of the program when state funds were strained.

No magic bullet
Our experience testing different approaches has led us to believe that there is no magic bullet. No single special initiative that we tried resulted in enrolling more than 178 children in any county.

Using "gatekeepers"
Most of our initiatives were designed to leverage limited resources by enlisting others to carry out much of the outreach and enrollment. Pilots worked with and through gatekeepers - human resource managers, business owners, doctors, medical office managers, church leaders, staff in community-based agencies, school and child care personnel and others who have relationships and direct contact with a broad range of families whose children might be eligible.

Through this approach, we believed, we could capitalize on connections that others already had established in different sectors of the community, putting a network in place to sustain long-term efforts while efficiently using resources.

But we learned firsthand that there are major limitations to conducting outreach and enrollment efforts on an ongoing basis through such gatekeepers.

Choosing partners wisely
Given the investment and commitment required, and the limited resources available, we've come to believe that it may be best to concentrate on developing relationships and systems with carefully selected partners - especially if one wants to arrive at a method that will be sustainable over the long run.

Such partners, for us, are schools; those who work with child care providers and the families they serve; and some health care providers.

Although our initiative to enroll Hispanic/Latino children fell short of our expectations, we continue to believe that the key to reaching special populations is through the community-based organizations that serve them. The relationships established through the outreach initiative have built the foundation for future efforts.

All of these potential partners share a deep concern for getting health coverage for children, are trusted by families, and have established lines of communication to a broad range of families whose children may be eligible for coverage.

Like others, we believe that it is also worthwhile to collaborate with entities that work with public assistance programs, e.g., childcare subsidies, food stamps. Through such partnerships, one can capitalize on structures and systems that are already in place to reach families who are applying for or already receiving benefits and who are likely to be eligible for Health Check/Health Choice.