SANTA CLARA COUNTY: Outreach Boosts Healthy Families Enrollment
Since the first of the year, Santa Clara Family Health Plan has signed 969 county children into Healthy Families through a series of outreach events hosted at schools and other community-based organizations. This brings the total number of Santa Clara Valley children enrolled to 3,500 -- about 40% of the estimated number eligible. State Senator and "champion for children's health" Liz Figueroa (D-Fremont) kicked off the first event in January at San Antonio Elementary School in San Jose. "That was the beginning of the snowball effect," Family Health Plan CEO Leona Butler said, adding, "After the first event was so successful, the word began to spread. Other schools and organizations took notice and started calling us up to set up events with them. It's been so exciting to see our community take real action to help children get the health care they need and deserve." Seven outreach events took place between January and May at four San Jose elementary schools, the Castro School in Mountain View, at ESO/CAUSA (Economic and Social Opportunities/Community ALliance for Upgrading Student Access and Achievement) in Gilroy, and at AACI (Asian Americans for Community Involvement) in San Jose. An eight sign-up was held last weekend at Washington Elementary School in San Jose, and more are scheduled in coming months.
Spreading the Word
Family Health Plan's success in Santa Clara has helped spur similar enrollment programs nearby, including San Mateo County-based Health Care for All Coalition, Solano County's Solano Kids Insurance Program, and San Francisco-based Health Access, which recently won a state grant for Healthy Families outreach. Family Health Plan has more than 40,000 Santa Clara County residents enrolled in Healthy Families and Medi-Cal plans (release, 7/8).