Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 16, 2010)
Page 12 The INDEPENDENT, September 16, 2010 Wash. Co. now helping families get kids enrolled for insurance Since last spring, Washing- ton County’s Commission on Children and Families has been managing three grants that fund outreach to and en- rollment of uninsured children and youth into Oregon’s Healthy Kids insurance plans. In February, the Commission received a Targeted Outreach Grant from the Oregon Depart- ment of Human Services for conducting outreach activities to uninsured children and youth in “hard to reach” Washington County families. Subsequently, the Commission was asked to manage two similar grants on behalf of the Beaverton School District and the Oregon School Based Health Care Network. Alina Maldonado, MSW, works for the Commission and provides support for seven out- reach workers hired under these three grants to serve the Banks, Beaverton, Gaston, Forest Grove, Tigard-Tualatin and Sherwood School Districts. An outreach grant also was awarded to Youth Contact for serving families in the Hillsboro School District. Maldonado co- ordinates countywide outreach efforts with Youth Contact’s two Hillsboro outreach workers, as well as with other community health and social service agen- cies that can enroll children in Healthy Kids. “Healthy Kids extends the Oregon Health Plan, offering more health coverage options to more families,” says Maldon- ado. “While the plan is aimed at low-income families, it also of- fers insurance to families that can afford it but can’t get it through their work.” The plan is available for children and teens up to their 19th birthday. “The coverage is very good,” Jim Dandy Farm Market W E HAVE P EARS , A PPLES , C ORN , C UCUMBERS & T OMATOES 45770 NW Sunset Hwy, Banks 503-324-3954 explains Maldonado. “Medical, dental and vision care are in- cluded, so are prescriptions and medical equipment. It also includes regular check-ups and preventive care, and mental health and chemical dependen- cy services.” For a family of four with a to- tal income of less than $44,000, comprehensive health insurance is provided to chil- dren and youth at no cost to the family. Between $44,000 to $66,000 per year for a family of four, the insurance is very low cost, averaging $50 a month for two children. Families with higher incomes who do not have insurance can buy the coverage at full-cost. Children are eligible even if they have been denied insurance cover- age for “pre-existing condi- tions.” The Commission’s team of outreach and enrollment work- ers are stationed at school dis- trict-based Family Resource Centers, and are closely allied with the school districts they serve. “In fact,” Maldonado says, “our workers are consid- ered school officials. They car- ry school district I.D., have The leaves are coming. Are you ready? BG 55 Handheld blower BR 550 Backpack blower $429.95 school district email addresses, and district staff can make di- rect referrals to our outreach workers.” The close relation- ship with the schools helps the workers identify uninsured chil- dren and youth who are likely candidates for the program. The outreach workers help teachers to watch out for sub- tler signs that a student might need medical attention or one of the program benefits. For in- stance, if a student were to have difficulty in school be- cause she could not see the board at the front of class, the student’s parents might be con- tacted so that the student could get the vision benefits that are offered by the program. One full-time outreach and enrollment worker serves the Forest Grove, Banks and Gas- ton area, two part-time workers cover Tigard, Tualatin and Sherwood and four full and part-time workers provide out- reach to children and youth in Beaverton. Additionally Youth Contact employs two full-time outreach workers to serve fam- ilies in Hillsboro. While the workers are based at the Fami- ly Resource Centers, they visit people’s homes and go out into the community to make the pro- gram known and enroll new children. They also go to places like summer food program sites, summer schools, church- es, low-income housing, and even to employers that do not offer health insurance to their employees. “One of the problems we have had is that people think this is simply the same as the Oregon Health Plan. They don’t realize that the door for Healthy Kids insurance is ‘wide open.’” Maldonado reports that so far the Commission’s outreach workers have helped families complete Healthy Kids applica- tions for over 600 children and youth. For more information about Healthy Kids in Washington County, call the Commission on Children and Families, 503- 846-4539. Information is also available at: www.oregon.gov/ DHS/healthykids/index.shtml. Healthy eating for diabetics Unravel “Label Lingo” for Healthy Eating with Diabetes, is the title of a free 90-minute presentation on Wednesday, September 22, at 6:00 p.m. Do you find information on labels overwhelming? Ques- tion the accuracy of the infor- mation? Come learn the facts about what to look for when reading labels. The session is designed to include group par- ticipation. Though free, attendees are asked to register by calling 503-681-1700. The location will be the Tuality Health Edu- cation Center, 334 SE 8th Ave., Hillsboro. Your New Best Friend IS WAITING FOR YOU AT THE BONNIE L. HAYS SMALL ANIMAL SHELTER 1901 SE 24th Ave., Hillsboro. For information call 503-846-7041 Or visit us online at: www.co.washington.or.us/pets Hours: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri, Sat 11 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. & Wed 12 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Handheld blower Starting at $149.95 STIHL HAS YOU COVERED WITH PROTECTIVE APPAREL AND ACCESSORIES. Service provided by Stihl certified technicians. PRECISION OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT Banks Hardware 503-324-5221 • 150 N. Main Street, Banks Mon - Fri 8am to 6pm Saturday 8am to 5pm Sunday 10am to 4pm Annie is a sweet 2-year old Pit Bull Terrier mix. She is house trained, crate trained, and gets along well with other dogs. She loves to play fetch and is very affectionate and playful. Annie is a wonderful, loyal com- panion! Pet ID: A069057 All pets have been spayed or neutered, come with shots; a microchip, and a one-year license if it’s a dog. Featured animals are subject to prior adoption. This Adopt a Pet is Sponsored by: Debbie Boone Oregon State Representative , District 32