New Grant to Look at Barriers to Health Care
The Parents as Teachers Program of Central West Virginia
United Way has received a grant for $120,000 to identify and
address barriers to care of low income children and families
enrolled in CHIP and Medicaid. The new initiative is a
partnership of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the
national Covering Kids and Families Program, and Health Care
Strategies. The West Virginia initiative is one of 19
national projects.
Dr. Beverly Bolles, early childhood program director of
Central West Virginia United Way, is the project director.
In year one of the project, Dr. Bolles and her team will
interview 100 families enrolled in CHIP and Medicaid to
identify barriers to care. In year two, she will organize a
coalition to work towards addressing one or two of the
barriers identified.
County School Boards Getting $31 Million
The state is funneling $31 million of federal money to
county school boards across the state, and according to the
commissioner of the state Bureau for Medical Services,
school administrators can spend the money however they wish.
(Charleston Gazette, 10/3/03)
WVHKFC Training Session Wrap-up
The WV Healthy Kids and Families held a full day educational
program "Helping Families: A Primer on Free and Low Cost
Health Care Programs" on October 1, 2020 in Charleston.
There were over 75 people in attendance from across the
state. The program was planned to provide health care
professionals, families, outreach workers and community
workers information about the variety of health services
available to the citizens of West Virginia.
For example several resources were reviewed that provide
free medications for the general public by Julie Greathouse
and Brian Cunningham. See some websites for additional
information on page 3 of this newsletter. Pat White
explained that there are 14 free clinics in the state and
they do not bill insurance or public programs for care but
do seek volunteer professionals to provide the care.
Mike Robbins with the WV Hospital Association told attendees
that hospitals must provide a certain amount of charity care
to the community and that one should ask for help when being
admitted to the hospital. He stressed not to wait till one
receives the notice of the claim being sent to the
collection agency before you go see the hospital about the
bill. Some hospitals even have endowments that are to be
used for paying for costs of hospitalization by low-income
people.
Pat Moss, Director of the Division of Maternal and Child
Health Bureau explained all the programs provided by MCH
including the cervical and breast screening and treatment
programs.
Sonia Chamber, Co-Chair of the Health Advisory Group, funded
by a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant is seeking
solutions to the large number of uninsured adults. She asked
those in attendance their opinions on the use of high risk
pools, subsidies, expansion of the public programs and/or
PEIA for covering the adult uninsured population.
Craig Robinson with the Partners Community Access Program
shared the progress of this innovative program not only in
the 8 counties where it is located but informed the group
there is access to free care in the eastern panhandle and in
the Cabel-Wayne Counties also through the CAP grants.
Randy Myers, Deputy Commissioner of the Medicaid Bureau,
shared a copy of the newly released "Guide to Medicaid"
produced by the WVDHHR. One can get a copy by accessing the
website of the WVDHHR:
http://www.wvdhhr.org/bms/oMedPolicyCor/bms_hcpc_guide_to_medicaid.htm
Sharon Carte, Director of CHIP reminded folks that the
InROADS project is now allowing for on-line applications.
The WVHKFC plan on doing a series of this type of program
across the state during 2004.
WV Council of Churches Welcomes New Director
The Reverend Dennis Sparks is the new executive director of
the West Virginia Council of Churches. Reverend Sparks comes
to West Virginia from Columbus, Ohio, where he served as
director of ecumenical issues for the Ohio Council of
Churches. In addition to serving as a pastor, he has worked
as regional community relations manager for the Hallmark
Television Network, director of the Akron Council of
Churches, campus minister at Ohio University at Athens, and
director of the Human Action Community Organization in
Chicago.
Reverend Sparks graduated from Bethany College in West
Virginia and holds a master of divinity degree from Texas
Christian University.
The Council of Churches has been the partner and
organizational home of the Healthy Kids and Families
Coalition for the past five years. The former director, the
Reverend Nathan Wilson, was the first chair of the
Coalition. We welcome Reverend Sparks and look forward to
working with him to support and promote health care for all
West Virginians.
Where to Go For Prescription Assistance in WV
More than 80 community-based, non-profit health centers
throughout the state offer prescription assistance programs
to their patients. Some centers offer assistance through a
manufacturers program or other indigent drug programs, but
many are now offering reduced price prescription drugs
through the 340b prescription assistance program. To find
the health center nearest you, please visit our website at
www.wvpca.org
or call us at (304) 346-0032.
Some organizations such as community health centers,
hospitals, family planning clinics, and others are eligible
to purchase and distribute to their patients deeply
discounted prescription drugs through a relatively new
federal program loosely know as the 340b prescription drug
program. To learn more about 340b, visit the Office of
Pharmacy Affairs website at
www.bphc.hrsa.gov/opa/.
Medicare offers a prescription drug clearinghouse on their
website. It provides an opportunity for individuals to
search programs, determine initial eligibility, and submit
an application. For more information visit the Medicare web
site at
www.medicare.gov
or link directly to the prescription assistance page at
www.medicare.gov/AssistancePrograms/home.asp
or call 1-800-MEDICARE.
For those that don’t want to spend the time searching
through countless drug manufacturers programs, the Medicine
Program will do most of the work for you. For a $5 fee, they
will find an applicable program through which you may
receive a prescription. For more information visit their
website at
www.themedicineprogram.com.
Free Copy of "Guide for Working Families"
Rick Wilson and Carol Sharlip released copies of the "Guide
for Working Families". This free guide is available through
Mountainside Media at 523-6162 or email
msmedia@mountainsidemedia.com.
Examining the Health Care Safety Net
West Virginia has an extensive health care safety net for
people without insurance coverage or the ability to pay for
services. Over the next year, the Healthy Kids and Families
Coalition will study the safety net in order to provide
information to families on how to get the care they need and
to inform state policymakers about the value as well as the
gaps in services being provided.
In the absence of universal health care coverage, we need to
understand, provide information and support access to care
through the safety net, according to Renate Pore, co-chair
of the Healthy Kids and Families Coalition. "As health
insurance becomes less and less affordable even for middle
income people, we need to understand the alternatives that
are available," Dr. Pore said. "My preference is for a
system of universal health insurance coverage where
everyone, rich and poor, has the ability to pay for
services. In the absence of such a system, we need to do
what we can to get health care to people," she said.
On October 1, 2020, the Healthy Kids and Families Coalition
sponsored a meeting to begin discussion of the safety net.
Speakers discussed the state’s system of primary care
centers, health right clinics, free or low cost prescription
drugs, hospital charity care programs, services offered
free-of-charge for women and children through the Office of
Maternal, Child and Family Health, and new systems of care
offered through provider networks.
Over the next several months, the Healthy Kids and Families
Coalition newsletter will carry regular articles explaining
these programs and others and how to access them. We invite
members of the Healthy Kids and Families Coalition and other
readers to write or email us and let us know their
experiences with free or low cost services.
Mark Your Calendars for These Important Dates
December 2-3, 2003
The Fourth Annual West Virginia Women’s Health Policy
Conference at Embassy Suites in Charleston. If your are
interested in attending you may call 304-346-0300 for more
information
February 17, 2020
A Policy Forum on Children’s Issues will be held on February
17, 2004. Look for more details regarding this forum in
future issues of the WVHKFC newsletter.
February 18, 2020
We invite you to join child advocates from around the state
at the West Virginia State Capitol to rally, advocate, and
problem-solve on behalf of all of West Virginia’s children!
Children’s Day at the Legislature will be held on February
18, 2004. For more information, please contact the Coalition
for West Virginia’s Children at (304) 342-6972 or visit
www.coalitionwvchildren.org.
Phone: 304-345-6349
Fax: 304-345-6620
Email:
jgreathouse@wvhealthykids.org
Email:
renatepore@wvhealthykids.org
Providing Health Care for All Workshop Offered
The WV Council of Churches will offer a
workshop on health care at its annual assembly on October 27
from 9:00 to 10:15. The Assembly will be held at the John
XXIII Pastoral Center in Charleston. The workshop will
feature Kate Long, staff writer for the Charleston Gazette,
Sally Richardson, director of the WVU Institute for Health
Policy Research; and Greg Smith, President and CEO ,
Mountain State Blue Cross. Dr. Renate E Pore, co-chair of
the WV Healthy Kids and Families Coalition will moderate the
workshop.
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