Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) Outreach, Enrollment, and Community Partnerships

On February 4, 2009 President Obama signed the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA), which provided funding to renew and expand the CHIP coverage. This new legislation preserves health coverage for millions of children who already rely on CHIP, and provides resources for states to offer CHIP coverage to millions more uninsured children. According to the 2008 Ohio Family Health Survey, while the rate of uninsured children decreased from 5.4% in 2004 to 4.0% statewide, the percentage of uninsured children in Montgomery County was 6.1%, the highest rate of any metropolitan county. Dayton Public Schools has approximately 15,000 students in grades K-12 with 86% qualifying for free/reduced lunch program. The Community Health Advocacy program of the Center for Healthy Communities has partnered with Dayton Public Schools to focus on children of families who are eligible for CHIP but not yet enrolled. This presentation will showcase outreach and retention methods for identifying eligible families through local and county school districts and existing community partnerships. Practices in outreach, enrollment, and connection to community members to be discussed include utilizing school lunch programs, connecting student registration for school with eligibility determination, and community health related events.