Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Deborah Kelley, RN BSN and Barbara Neely, RN BSN MPH. Department of School Health Services, Multnomah Education Service DIstrict, 11611 NE Ainsworth Circle, Portland, OR 97220, 503-257-1611, dkelley@mesd.k12.or.us

The management and coordination of team responsibilities is key to running any successful and effective project. Team members work together to bring their expertise from large or small organizations in order to improve the health of our school children by securing access to health care. Team members could consist of Medicaid resource specialists, school and community nurses, school staff, social service providers, foundation members and those employees of insurance and hospital-based providers. The team of professionals provides enrollment consultation, and its expertise to the school staff, social service providers and families in a designated area. These team members have the responsibility to;

1.Provide school-based enrollment of eligible children, so that low income families can access their neighborhood school to receive information about any health insurance program available in that designated area, as well as assistance in completing the enrollment forms,

2.Disseminate information to schools and community members,

3.Be culturally and language aware, providing translated forms and brochures as well as provide interpretation during family contacts, and

4.Knowledgeable about health care options available to residents who are not citizens of the United States.

Eligibility and Medicaid benefits change at a rapid pace. To keep abreast with these changes it is necessary for the team to arrange and meet frequently. Team members take this opportunity to voice opinions and suggestions on improvements or the addition of new concepts. Children with health insurance and access to the health care system have improved health outcome over those who do not. With the implementation as described, it is up to us as health care professionals, to promote universal health care access for all children.

Learning Objectives:

• 1.Discuss the steps successful to the outcome of team collaboration in providing a daily working model for providing health access.
• 2.Identify the infrastructure needed to support a team effort.

Keywords: Access to Health Care, Health Insurance

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No