Back to School 2004
Before the school year
begins, the WVHKFC is launching it’s annual Covering Kids
and Families Back to School Campaign to encourage parents
with uninsured children to put enrolling them in WVCHIP or
Medicaid at the top of their Back to School checklist. These
efforts are part of a nationwide campaign launched by
Covering Kids & Families, a national initiative to connect
uninsured children and adults with low-cost and free health
care coverage programs in all 50 states and the District of
Columbia. Covering Kids & Families is a national program of
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
This year’s campaign in WV will be held in conjunction with the ‘WV
Tax Free Weekend’ beginning August 6, 2020 and will include
events held by Community Partners across the state.
Back
to School Events in WV
Events for this year’s Back to School Campaign include:
Jackson
County- Mission WV Children's Health Fair and Activity
Day will be August 14 from 10-2pm on the courthouse lawn in
Ripley. Contact Amy Haskins at
ahaskins@missionwv.org
Wood
County– Wood Co. FRN is planning a Back to School event
on Saturday, August 7th from 9:00 to 12:00 Noon at the Park
Shopping Center. Froggy 99 will be doing a live remote.
Contact Stella Moon at
lincs@zzzip.net
Randolph County- Randolph Co. FRN will be setting up a
booth at the National KidsDay Celebration on Aug. 1, 2004
(12-4pm) at River Bend Park in S. Elkins. We will be
advertising for CHIP and giving out door prizes from the
CHIP booth. Contact Iestyn J. Bright, Coordinator RCFRN,
P.O. Box 1172, Elkins, WV 26241, 304-636-4454 or by email at
ibright@rcfrn.org
Raleigh
County– Raleigh Co. FRN will have a CHIP Information
Table at CROSSROADS MALL on Saturday, August 12 from
10am-4pm during "Tax Free Weekend" as well as activities
during the Beckley 2004 KIDS CLASSIC FESTIVAL. The week long
events start on Sept. 4 and run through September 11 or 12
and will include many events including a parade and
fireworks. Contact Fred Cooper at fcooper@wvusports.com for
more information.
Check the
WVHKFC website calendar for information on more Back to
School events as details become available at
www.wvhealthykids.org/calendar
It's Important to Educate Families
on Re-enrollment
Community partners working
with the WVHKFC, and others who help to enroll children in
CHIP and Medicaid, should make sure that families know that
they must re-enroll their children every 12 months.
Retaining eligible children in WVCHIP and Medicaid has been an
important goal for the WV Healthy Kids and Families
Coalition. In analyzing CHIP data, we have been concerned
that some children are losing coverage at the end of their
12 month enrollment period. While some children are dropped
from coverage because they age out of the program and others
become ineligible because family income increases or
employer coverage becomes available, too many miss the
deadline for re-enrollment.
The number of CHIP cases closed at the end of 12 months has ranged
between 21 percent and 29 percent in the last eight months.
In May 2004, 1,699 CHIP children were due for renewal. Of
that number 481 children or 28 percent lost coverage. While
in some counties, no children lose coverage in any given
month, in others one-third or more lose coverage. Data from
May 2004 shows that in five counties 10 percent or less of
all CHIP children lost coverage, while 30 percent or more
lost coverage in 23 counties.
WVCHIP Needs State
Fair Volunteers
The WV CHIP office needs
your help! For the past several years, WVCHIP has exhibited
at the WV State Fair. This year’s State Fair will be held
August 13-22. This is a great opportunity to see thousands
of people over the course of 10 days and share information
about free and low cost health insurance available for
children. Due to the magnitude of this event, it is
imperative that the WVCHIP State Office have help covering
the exhibit during the fair to make it a huge success. The
responsibilities of each volunteer would be to arrive about
15 minutes prior to your shift, hand out CHIP literature and
promotional items, engage people in conversation about
WVCHIP and refer people to resources (helpline, Primary Care
clinics, DHHR, WVinROADS) when appropriate. Also, there will
be a free drawing for fair attendees at the booth.
Not only would you be helping to further promote WVCHIP, but you
can participate in fun activities while you are not working
your shift. Some of the free activities include: Big Bear
Show, Batman Heroes, Grandpa Cratchet, Comedy Safari,
Rhinestone Ropers with Lucky Joe Trick Horse, Hambone
Racing, General Lee * Dukes of Hazard and Rosco's Police
Cruiser, Motorsports Showcar & Simulator, plus many more.
the many exhibits and vendors. There are also Grandstand
Evening Concerts (You must purchase ticket unless indicated
FREE) which include: Lynyrd Skynard, Beatles Mania
Experience (FREE), Nashville Star Night, Lonestar, and
George Jones just to name a few. Plus Great Food, Arcade
Games, Bingo, WV Lottery Wheel and the Carnival
Bring your family or a friend and have fun while helping a great
cause! If you are traveling a long distance, WVCHIP will
take care of your hotel room and a travel stipend. If you
are interested in volunteering, please contact Pam Gunter,
WVCHIP Community Relations Director at (304) 558-6633
(voice) or by email at
pamelagunter@wvdhhr.org
Voter Registration Van Coming to a Site Near You.
Can you Help?
Every Child Matters in West Virginia is putting children and
children’s issues in the front row seats of democracy. They
are making children a priority in American and West Virginia
politics by raising the visibility of children and family
issues to the voting public and political candidates, and
promoting investments in their well being. Every Child
Matters WV is gearing up for a voter registration campaign
and soon will have the “I’m Voting for Kids” van on the road
in West Virginia.
Every Child Matters is looking for places to schedule the van for
high visibility voter registration activity throughout the
Mountain State. The goal is to register 5000 new voters for
kids. We all know kids can’t vote and we, as children’s
advocates, need to speak, vote and work to represent them.
The impact of our silence is damaging: children’s issues are
routinely elbowed off the table by stronger interests.
Every Child Matters believes many citizens who are either not
registered to vote, or do not vote, would do so if they
thought it would help children. We need to be asking
ourselves and the candidates, “Who is for Kids and who is
just kidding?”
If you would like to help, contact Every Child Matters in
West Virginia in Charleston at 304-345-6349. Tom LaPointe
will be happy to hear from you. Or contact Tom LaPointe via
e-mail
tlapointe@everychildmatters.org or visit our web site
www.everychildmatters.org and go to the West Virginia
link.
2004 Flood Assistance
For the recent new flooding
of 2004, Federal and State disaster recovery officials
encourage citizens to apply for disaster assistance by
calling the toll-free application number 1-800-621-FEMA
(3362) from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week until further
notice. Persons who are hearing or speech impaired can apply
by calling a special TTY number: 1-800-462-7585.
The timeliness of ‘signing up’ with FEMA is essential. If you know
of anyone in your area that has experienced flood damage
encourage them to call FEMA as soon as possible.
Once the FEMA process is completed and the agency leaves the state,
the next step is follow-up contacts to those identified by
FEMA by case workers who are part of a project of VOAD
(Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters). The
caseworkers assist with the long term recovery process and
dealing with remaining unmet needs (which, after the FEMA
process was completed, in 2003 totaled over $3 million and
will probably be higher for the 2004 survivors).
WV Journalist Wins Award
Congratulations to Kate
Long. Kate recently won the Gerald Loeb Award for
Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism for her
series “Everybody at Risk," published in the Sunday
Gazette-Mail last year. Kate's articles described the harm
inflicted by skyrocketing medical insurance cost on both
ordinary West Virginians and employers. Judges ranked her
writing the best in any
U.S. newspaper under 150,000 circulation. Among other health
care issues, Kate has been important in helping the public
and policymakers understand the value of WVCHIP and
Medicaid.
Outstanding Outreach
Across the state, partners of the WVHKFC are working hard to
promote CHIP and Medicaid enrollment. A few of the
outstanding outreach ideas are as follows:
Randolph Co. FRN hosted a physician’s office managers meeting to
inform staff of the formation of their area CHIP coalition.
State CHIP officials gave a presentation and answered
questions regarding CHIP, handed out CHIP informational
packets along with a variety of CHIP paraphernalia. A door
prize was given as another incentive to attend.
Mission WV, in collaboration with the Jackson County Connect Child
Care Office passed out goodie bags to every child in day
care in Jackson County, which totals roughly 800 children.
The TRAILS van driver volunteered to drop all of the bags
off at each site on the outskirts of the county. In each bag
the children receive a coloring book, an immunization chart,
a toothbrush, magnet, sticker, the informational flyer that
includes the new income guidelines, a WIC flyer, a short
note regarding the upcoming Activity and Health Fair Day in
August, as well as a pack of crayons.
McDowell Mission/ Dove Learning Center held an Aloha Luau to bid
the school year good-bye with parents and friends as well as
staff and tutors attending the festivities. Fun, games, and
refreshments were enjoyed and treat bags included WVCHIP
materials for parents to review at home.
Wood Co. FRN hosted a Bike Rodeo and Safety Fair at St. Joseph’s
Hospital. First through sixth grade students attended this
safety event. Approximately 8,000 students received a flyer
and Results Radio advertised this event via PSAs and news
stories. Results Radio (WXIL) provided live remote and
promoted CHIP one-liners throughout the event.
WV Healthy Kids and Families Coalition
Next WVHK&FC Meetings:
August 4,
2004
Steering Committee Meeting 10:00-12:00
WVHKFC Office
2003 Quarrier St, Charleston, WV 25311
August 18,
2004
Community Partners Meeting 10:00-12:00
Full Coalition
1:00-3:00
John XXIII Pastoral Center
Hodges Rd, Charleston, WV 25314
September
1, 2004
Steering Committee Meeting 10:00-12:00
WVHKFC Office
2003 Quarrier St, Charleston, WV 25311
September
8,
2004
Gubernatorial Forum 10:00-12:00
John XXIII Pastoral Center
Hodges Rd, Charleston, WV 25314
CONTACT US:
West
Virginia Healthy Kids and Families Coalition
2003
Quarrier St., East
Charleston,
WV 25311
(304)
345-6349 (304) 345-6620-fax
Renate E.
Pore
(304)
345-6349
renateepore.pore@verizon.net
Julie
Greathouse
(304)
345-6349
jdg_outreach@hotmail.com
www.wvhealthykids.org
times.