The city of Savannah was recently selected to receive a grant from the National League of Cities (NLC) to help implement local efforts to enroll children and their families in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Led by the mayor's office in partnership with Step Up Savannah, the city's poverty reduction initiative, and other community partners, The Mayor's Campaign for Healthy Children and Families seeks to increase enrollment in Georgia's public health insurance programs - Right from the Start Medicaid (RSM) or PeachCare for Kids (PCK) - by enhancing and expanding enrollment assistance services and outreach activities.
The plan includes utilizing the city's 3-1-1 system as a central clearinghouse to link individuals with enrollment assistance, undertaking a broad social media marketing campaign to increase awareness of enrollment and renewals, and a focus on policy advocacy and systems change.
The Cities Expanding Health Access for Children and Families Initiative will help cities implement comprehensive campaigns to enroll children and families in Medicaid and CHIP and reduce the uninsured rate for children and families by 50 percent in each of the cities.
"As a nation, we've made significant progress on enrolling eligible children in Medicaid and CHIP, but millions of children who qualify for coverage under these programs still need to sign up. Cities are vital partners in outreach and enrollment efforts," said Cindy Mann, deputy administrator at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The cities were chosen based on the quality and feasibility of business plans that were submitted in the spring and will receive grants of up to $260,000.
The other cities selected are Dallas, Texas; Garden City, Michigan; Hattiesburg, Mississippi; Jacksonville, Florida; New Bedford, Massachusetts; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Providence, Rhode Island.
