Grant Partners
People Acting in Community Endeavors
People Acting in Community Endeavors (PACE) will facilitate enrollment and redetermination assistance for many “hard to reach” target populations through partnerships with schools, career centers, and ESOL classes. They will also develop materials to help individuals interpret notices and remind them of pending actions, as well as conduct individualized enrollment and group health insurance literacy sessions.
East Boston Neighborhood Health Center
East Boston Neighborhood Health Center will target uninsured patients prior to their next scheduled appointment and provide enrollment assistance. To address churn, it will utilize its electronic medical record to identify individuals whose coverage is about to lapse, and refer them to follow-up assistance. It will develop a health insurance education module that includes low-literacy multilingual materials and a workshop curriculum that helps patients navigate the system. Ten health insurance literacy information sessions will be held each year.
County of Dukes County
Dukes County will participate in community outreach events, and use paid and unpaid advertising and social media to promote affordable insurance information. They will develop a folder with handouts for appointments, and adapt a checklist for account set-up, enrollment and payment information, primary care provider selection, and making appointments. It will also set up reminder systems for clients with pending action steps.
Boston Public Health Commission
Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) will launch a media campaign to educate residents about open enrollment and how to receive assistance. It will target churn through development of multilingual materials that inform residents of actions needed to retain insurance through MassHealth or the Connector, distribute enrollment packages, and provide client counseling on redetermination. Finally, it will develop messaging about how to retain appropriate and comprehensive coverage within primary care and health literacy workshops.
Ecu-Health Care
Ecu-Health Care will utilize broadcast and print media to inform residents of health coverage options; provide presentations to community organizations; educate area businesses about health coverage options for employees; and work with physicians’ groups and health and human service organizations to facilitate referrals. Churn will be reduced through education during one-on-one application assistance appointments and health insurance literacy is integrated into a comprehensive packet for applicants.
County of Dukes County
Dukes County will participate in community outreach events, and use paid and unpaid advertising and social media to promote affordable insurance information. They will develop a folder with handouts for appointments, and adapt a checklist for account set-up, enrollment and payment information, primary care provider selection, and making appointments. It will also set up reminder systems for clients with pending action steps.
Harbor Health Services
Harbor Health Services will participate in off-site joint outreach sessions at social service agencies, supermarket chains, ethnic markets, Councils on Aging, Veterans Agencies, sites serving behavioral health and developmental delayed persons, subsidized housing, state employment and job training sites, schools, food pantries, WIC program sites, health fairs, and via social media. It will create a health insurance literacy community assessment, and develop user-friendly materials that educate clients on how to use health insurance benefits. Finally, it will dedicate a phone number and webpage for residents to reach staff for enrollment assistance, and execute a social media campaign.
Lynn Community Health Center
Lynn Community Health Center (LCHC) will conduct outreach and partner with MassHealth and the Connector to host enrollment events. They will provide individualized education about the importance of maintaining coverage. Lynn will conduct post-enrollment follow-up to ensure access to primary care services and distribute guides to educate individuals on topics like eligibility and program requirements, assistance with citizenship or residence documentation, medical bills, referrals, and redetermination applications.
Hilltown Community Health Centers
Hilltown Community Health Centers (HCHC) will work with small businesses, Councils on Aging, schools, employers, medical providers, and community organizations to conduct outreach, advertise in newsletters, print, and social media. They will work with the Connector to identify and target outreach to consumers who need to renew their coverage and partner with sheriff’s departments, courts and probation offices to reach recently incarcerated and court-involved individuals who experience higher rates of churn. To address health insurance literacy, they will develop consumer-friendly education tools and collateral.
Brockton Neighborhood Health Center
Brockton Neighborhood Health Center (BNHC) will provide outreach and enrollment assistance as well as assist clients with obtaining email accounts and accessing online applications through group sessions utilizing a bank of computers at partner organizations. BNHC will also provide Community Leader Forums that educate on health insurance literacy to local leaders of churches and cultural organizations.
Community Action Committee of Cape Cod & Islands
Community Action Committee of Cape Cod & Islands will continue individualized “Access to Care – Navigating the Massachusetts Health Care System” educational sessions for consumers, and design a training guide identifying MassHealth mailings and navigating the complex health care system. They will conduct a series of outreach events to educate the public on changes through the Affordable Care Act.
Community Action of the Franklin, Hampshire and North Quabbin Regions
Community Action of the Franklin, Hampshire and North Quabbin Regions will assist eligible consumers with applications, offer education about health access services over the phone, and provide financial assistance assessments. Referral linkages with area providers will also be enhanced.
County of Dukes County
County of Dukes County will provide enrollment assistance at local community organizations to assist consumers in setting up Health Information Exchange accounts, completing applications, checking statuses and making updates. They will also develop and disseminate information on the Affordable Care Act, with a focus on immigrants and tribal members. Finally, social media, paid and free media will be used to reach members of the general public on health coverage options.
Hilltown Community Health Centers
Hilltown Community Health Centers will assist with applications and annual eligibility reviews and connect patients with primary care providers. They will provide monthly public education sessions on health coverage options for consumers, and adapt their electronic medical record to establish a referral system across departments. Educational materials will be developed on the changes in the health insurance marketplace. Finally, they will work with small businesses in the community that may be eligible for health care tax credits through the marketplace.
Whittier Street Health Center
Whittier Street Health Center will provide eligibility assistance and coordinate care for patients, making referrals within the health center, with other health care providers, and community partners. They will continue to foster the Building Vibrant Communities program to employ housing development residents as community health workers to assist consumers with their health and social needs. Community health workers will be trained in patient navigation to equip consumers in connecting with primary care and other social and health services.