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» News & Events » 2010 Press Releases » 11/18 - Board Approves Service Expansions
Central Health Board Approves Two Service Expansions
The Central Health Board of Managers approved two significant service expansion programs that will greatly help Travis County residents in need of access to Healthcare. Approved during the board's regular meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 17 were expansions to Central Health's customer service line via a contract with United Way Capital Area, and to the insure-a-kid program, which will focus on enrollment assistance for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), CHIP Perinatal and Medicaid.
The Board of Managers approved a total of $350,000 in expansion funds for services provided under the existing contract with United Way Capital Area for the customer service line, available by calling 512-978-8130. This expansion supplements $350,000 already budgeted in Fiscal Year 2011 for these services, for a total of $700,000. The service expansion will support a substantial increase to the maximum call volume, and callers will be able to learn more about area healthcare services, schedule appointments for enrollment in local healthcare benefits programs such as Central Health’s Medical Assistance Program (MAP), and assistance in completing CHIP, CHIP Perinatal and
Medicaid applications, among other related services. From October 2009 to September 2010, its first full year of operation, more than 90,000 callers requested healthcare information through the customer service line.
Since implementation last year, the customer service line has proved to be an increasingly valuable and utilized asset to residents of Travis County seeking information about healthcare services. Previously, services were primarily focused on assisting callers with the MAP eligibility process. For this population alone, which has grown from 8,000 enrollees in 2004 to more than 18,000 in 2010, the customer service line has greatly expedited the application process and helped to answer applicants and enrollees questions. This expansion extends available services beyond MAP eligibility to provide direct support for callers seeking assistance with State program applications and other healthcare and basic needs services.
In further action, the Board approved an agreement with the insure-a-kid program, a non-profit organization founded by the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, for $88,000 in expansion funds that will enhance services for families seeking healthcare services for their children. This funding supplements an already approved $25,000 in Central Health's FY11 budget, for a total of $113,000. The new funding provides for training, outreach and support of Central Health's MAP electronic application submission program as well as individual case management for its State application assistance program. Under the expansion, insure-a-kid staff will now provide additional services, such as following-up on all State program applications, conducting outreach with the applicant to help them navigate through the process, resubmitting missing information and/or communicating with the Texas Health and Human Services Department to troubleshoot cases that were denied.
“Both of these programs are important tools for the residents of Travis County who need access to healthcare services. Increasing the availability of navigations services to guide people through the system and to provide an added level of support to applicants to ensure they achieve a good outcome is at the core of what Central Health is trying to achieve,” Patricia A. Young Brown, president and CEO of Central Health said.