HEALTHY FAMILIES: Fresno Region Targeted for Education Campaign
Parents with uninsured children in the Fresno area are the focus of a new Robert Wood Johnson Foundation educational campaign designed to boost enrollment for the state's Healthy Families program, the Modesto Bee reports (Doyle, 8/10). Scheduled to launch next week, the $26 million campaign will target uninsured children in six U.S. cities -- Fresno; Albuquerque, N.M.; Baltimore, Md.; Boise, Idaho; Greenville, N.C.; and Springfield, Ill. RWJF President and CEO Dr. Steven Schroeder said, "This public education campaign is aimed at the families ... who don't realize that these health coverage programs are for their children. We must reach them" (RWJF release, 8/9). The campaign follows the release of an RWJF study that showed three out of five parents with eligible children did not think they qualified for the coverage. The Fresno campaign will feature English- and Spanish-language television, radio and print ads, and will target school events to boost enrollment. Fresno County officials indicate that about 7,500 children are enrolled in Healthy Families, while "three times as many" are eligible but remain uninsured. According to the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency, 4,120 area children are enrolled but "thousands more" are eligible for the program. Agency spokesperson David Jones said, "We're thrilled to see more advertising and promotion for [Healthy Families]. One of the biggest (obstacles) continues to be awareness among the families that these programs actually exist." A family of four with an income less than $42,625 could be eligible for Healthy Families (Modesto Bee, 8/10).
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