The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #46000

Laverne M Carter, MPH, MA, Holly S Patterson, MPH, and Maricelly Daltro, MPA. The EMPRISE Group, Inc., 13410 New Halls Ferry Road, St. Louis, MO 63033

The de-linking of Medicaid and TANF has left thousands of Medicaid eligible women and children without medical coverage. This, coupled with the health disparities faced by African Americans and Hispanics in Missouri, led to the creation of the Women’s Health Initiative. This program, known as the We Care About Your Care Campaign, used an Organizational Needs Assessment to identify outreach avenues perceived as most feasible, effective, and needed by Community Health Centers’ outreach staffs and management personnel. The campaign builds on the strengths of four urban Federally Qualified Health Centers in St. Louis, two in Kansas City, and one in the rural area known as the Bootheel. The program focuses on health communication strategies to improve the communities’ perceptions of the health centers, thereby connecting families to primary care and assessing their eligibility for Medicaid. The campaign uses billboards and brochures as its primary tools for informing communities about the health centers and the eligibility requirements for Medicaid. Since the fall of 1999, the campaign has prompted over 1000 families to come to the health centers for primary care. Thirty percent of these families were eligible for Medicaid and not enrolled.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, the participant should be able to

• Identify approaches for Medicaid outreach to minority communities in urban and rural areas
• Identify a mechanism to assess the outreach needs of Community Health Centers
• Identify ways to use Community Health Centers in Medicaid outreach

Keywords: Women's Health, Medicaid

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Family Care Health Centers, Inc. Grace Hill Neighborhood Health Centers, Inc. Myrtle H. Davis Comprehensive Health Centers, Inc. People's Health Centers, Inc. Samuel U. Rodgers Community Health Center Southeast Missouri Health Network Swope Parkway
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Contract