Many programs provide children with low- or no-cost government-sponsored health insurance, but millions of eligible children nation-wide go without coverage because their families do not know they are eligible or do not know how to secure such coverage. To address this problem, the Washington State Medical Assistance Administration awarded Spokane’s Health Improvement Partnership and Desautel Hege Communications a contract to design and implement a state-wide marketing campaign to enroll eligible children in government-sponsored health care plans (Medicaid and CHIP). The contract joined an alliance of public, non-profit and private agencies in a unique and powerful partnership to improve access to healthcare for low- and moderate-income children. This paper describes the evolution of the marketing campaign from a localized effort to a state-wide replicable program with an innovative design, strong research base and clear understanding of "lessons learned". The presentation emphasizes 1. developing an innovative program with non-profit and private partners within constraints of complex governmental policies; 2. ensuring effective community development around the issue of children’s healthcare by facilitating collaborative relationships across sectors; 3. ensuring that the program is client-centered by including the target population at all stages of program development and administration; 4. enhancing program reach by leveraging funds and in-kind supports; and 5. assuring appropriate program modifications and replicability by establishing sound data collection and reporting mechanisms.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to: 1) Name 5 program administration practices that facilitate collaboration and cross-sector partnerships for marketing access to children's health care; 2) Identify 3 ways to effectively elicit target population input during planning and management of health communication programs; 3) List 10 "lessons learned" regarding cross-sector (public/private/nonprofit) program management; 4) Identify 5 strategies for effectively leveraging funds and in-kind supports for managing cross-sector health communications programs; and 5) Name 3 aspects of the Washington State program that lend themselves to replication in other settings or transportability to other topics
Keywords: Access to Health Care, Collaboration
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: We receive contract funds from Washington State to administer the program discussed in this paper.