School-Based Child Health Insurance Outreach Partnership

School staff struggle to address the complex needs of their students. Access to health insurance plays a key role in keeping students healthy, in school and ready to learn. It makes it possible for students to access preventive and primary care, mental health, dental health and other community services and resources. It is also the first step in that student having a medical home that coordinates their care.

Many of the students you serve are not currently insured and it appears that number is increasing due to the economic downturn and high unemployment rate. In North Carolina, 11.3% of children (~270,000) are uninsured, and of those children it is estimated that 68% would qualify for one of the state's publicly-funded child health insurance programs - Health Check (Medicaid for Children) or NC Health Choice.

This is where you can make a difference! School Nurses, Student Support Services Staff and School Health Advisory Councils, by working within existing school infrastructures, can assure that families learn about and apply for these programs. See links below to a "Menu of Strategies" and tools that suggest several options for sharing this information with families in the school setting. No doubt you will think of many more opportunities.

Whether you choose this project as a priority for your SHAC or if individual staff member(s) decide to implement a few of these ideas, you will individually or collectively be furthering the goals of coordinated school health by involving families and improving access to care and needed resources.

In the right column, you will find "Child Health Insurance Orientation Materials and Resources." Each link is clearly labeled to help you find what you need. For technical assistance in implementing a child health insurance outreach effort in your school district, contact Carolyn Sexton at (919) 707-5642 or [email protected]. Thank you, in advance, for helping families enroll their children in these programs.

School-Based Child Health Insurance Outreach "Menu of Strategies" and "Tools":

Attachment A : School-Based Child Health Insurance Outreach "Menu of Strategies."

Attachment B: Black and white flyer that can be reproduced for mass distribution.

Attachment C: "Parent Response Form" for an active outreach effort supported by school personnel or volunteers.

Attachment D : Scripted "Free and Reduced Price School Meals Approval Letter with a child health insurance outreach message" OR memo to school nutrition directors.

Attachment E : Two draft articles about the state's child health insurance programs for inclusion in the "Parent Handbook."

Attachment F : Scripted voice mail message to share information about NC's child health insurance programs.

Attachment G : Locally developed tools.