Bring Funds to Your State for CHIP Enrollment

As a part of the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will award a total of $80 million to eligible groups for outreach and enrollment of eligible children into the Medicaid and CHIP programs.
 
According to the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), the grants will be awarded on the following principles:

• Outreach must be directly connected to and driven by enrollment and retention of children in these programs;
• Grantees will need to demonstrate with data a real connection between their outreach efforts and the results on enrollment;
• Data and systems improvements will be considered for funding if the applicant can demonstrate that systems improvements are needed for outreach and will contribute to increased enrollment;
• CMS is especially interested in replicable outreach strategies that they can share with grantees.

In order for groups to better understand the solicitation process for these grants, CMS will sponsor a special Open Door Forum conference call on Wednesday, July 22. The discussion will focus on the key components of the solicitation, important dates, and CMS will answer any other questions you may have.

We encourage you to join this call to find out how your group can receive federal funds for CHIPRA outreach and enrollment programs. The call will be on Wednesday, July 22 at 2pm EDT. The call-in number is 1-800-837-1935, and the conference reference number is 17418037. You can also e-mail questions prior to the call to CHIPRAOutreachGrants@cms.hhs.gov.

Online Advocacy: State Groups Explore New Ways to Communicate

It was only a short six months ago that, to most people, “tweeting” was just a sound a bird makes. In the last several months, this new form of instant communication has revolutionized the way that politicians reach constituents, advocacy groups call their members to action, and activists sound off about issues they care about.

Twitter is just one tool in a whole movement of online communication that can take advocacy efforts to exciting new levels. Facebook and Myspace have also revolutionized online advocacy. Blogs have completely changed the pace of information flow, and smart phones keep us constantly connected. All of these “new media” intertwine and connect to create a new world of multi-way communication. Many state health care groups have realized that to stay relevant in today’s world, they must actively engage in these new media technologies and use them to their advantage. Here’s how:

• New Media in Illinois:
  The Campaign for Better Health Care (CBHC) dived right into these new technologies and has reaped great benefits, including recruiting a whole new wave of volunteers. About a year ago, CBHC ramped up their new media efforts by creating a Facebook “cause page.” Through the cause page, CBHC is able to spread their message as well as fundraise. Kathleen Duffy, the Events and Communications Organizer, explained that the page has brought in new funds that may not otherwise have been tapped. More importantly, the online fundraising effort is much like the online fundraising effort of the Obama campaign, where a large number of people make very small donations. Through the cause page, the group can communicate with new donors and engage them in activities, bringing in new volunteers. Kathleen claims that since they ventured onto Facebook, their offices have been fuller than ever with fresh volunteer faces.

CBHC’s reach on Facebook is not limited to the young. With its increasing popularity, people of all ages are engaging in the social networking tool. Kathleen says that their reach on Facebook increasingly incorporates a wider age range of activists.

The group has also joined Twitter and tweets about events and calls to action. Maintaining an online presence can take time and capacity that many smaller groups do not have. Kathleen recommends putting an intern or temporary worker on the case.

• Blogging in Wisconsin:
  Creating a blog for your group is a good way to keep people engaged and get your message out. Citizen Action of Wisconsin has a great health care blog, appropriately called the No Sacred Cows Blog. Citizen Action blogs about new reports and happenings in local and federal politics.
  
  
• Tweeting in California:
  Twitter, the newest social networking craze, has invaded the advocacy world, forcing politicians and groups to be concise in their messages—only 140 characters! Health Access California updates their Twitter feed several times a day with updates about action in the state House and ways for people to get involved. You can follow health access at @healthaccess on twitter.com.
  
  
• Follow Families USA on Twitter, Facebook, and standupforhealthcare.org
  We joined the media mania when we launched our new project last year called Stand Up For Health Care. The new Web site has a blog that is updated with the latest developments in and interesting components of health care reform. Stand Up For Health Care also has a Facebook page—check it out by searching “Stand Up for Health Care,” show your support for health care reform, and recruit your friends too! You can also find out about our new reports and blog posts just minutes after they are released by following Families USA on twitter at @familiesusa.

Rural Communities: Cornerstones of Health Reform

Conventional wisdom dictates that rural communities are more conservative and therefore less likely to engage in health reform. However, Brian Depew and his team at the Center for Rural Affairs have shattered this stereotype. “The notion that rural communities won’t support reform is simply not true,” insists Depew. “People living in rural areas are keenly aware of the challenges facing our health care system. They have higher rates of self- and small business employment, are more likely to live in health professional shortage areas, are older and have higher rates of disability, and are more likely to be dependent on public health care programs.”

In the 15 years it has been advancing health care reform, the Center for Rural Affairs has cultivated relationships with consumer advocacy groups across the Midwest and Great Plains.  Recently, the Center partnered with the Iowa Citizen Action Network and the Iowa Farmers Union on five town hall meetings across the state, one in each congressional district. “Policy makers or their staff attended every meeting,” noted Depew, “so rural residents really felt like their stories were being heard.” The town halls were accompanied by an intensive media campaign; the Center's media director visited 16 media outlets across Iowa over a four-day period to talk about rural health care.

With its home in Lyons, Nebraska (population 963), there is an inherent authenticity surrounding the Center for Rural Affairs. However, Depew does not discourage consumer advocacy groups located in more urban areas from organizing in rural communities. “Be aware that differences exist. Do not ignore these differences, and certainly do not tell people living in rural areas what they need.” Rather, Depew recommends enlisting rural-based community groups as allies and cultivating rural media relationships. He also suggests ensuring that the rural viewpoint is represented on Boards and basing community organizers in rural areas as resources permit.

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