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Ukiah Daily Journal
November 10, 2005
By Seth Freedland
The goal seems indomitable--providing comprehensive
health care coverage for every child in Mendocino County.
But during a presentation to the Board of
Supervisors Tuesday, Public Health Director Carol Mordhorst
said progress made in such a direction bodes well for the
cause.
Like any public policy discussion, the sticking
point remains financial. Yet if steps taken to date are any
indication, the dream could be reality by next year. The campaign,
dubbed Mendocino Children's Health Initiative, targets the
1,500 county residents up to 18 years of age without health
insurance. Of those, 1,200 could be on state programs like
MediCal or Healthy Families.
In September, the group hired a countywide coordinator to
expand and coordinate enrollment in the two public insurance
programs. The Alliance for Rural Community Health provided
funding for the position, in addition to federal matching
funds and various grants.
A substantial concern remains about those
300 uninsured children at or below 300 percent of the Federal
Poverty Level who are not eligible for MediCal or Healthy
Families. Providing a new coverage option, Mordhorst said,
would benefit the county in total. Fewer sick children improves
all youths' health, prevents education losses and allows more
parents to avoid missing work. The larger point focuses on
the fact that school funding is tied to children's attendance.
Ukiah Valley Medical Center also currently
writes off $3.6 million per year to offset losses.
The CalKids health insurance, expected to
be ready by spring 2006, will cost $651 per year per child,
below insurance averages for similar programs. The coverage
would be limited, but designed to focus on low-income children
needing physicals, check-ups, immunizations, prescription
medicine and outpatient surgeries. Some dental, vision and
mental health services would be covered by CalKids, but inpatient
services would not.
Efforts to attract dollars to this new program
remain paramount. The Health Initiative hired Lin Barret as
a fund-raising consultant. Barret, who helped rein in $8 million
for the Fort Bragg Aquatics Center, will help add to First
5 Mendocino's gift of $500,000 over three years for infrastructure
and premiums.
Months ago, Mordhorst accepted a $50,000
planning grant from California Endowment, and is "optimistic"
for an implementation grant to follow.
This funding allowed Mordhorst to begin convening meetings
last month in various communities to gauge need and effectiveness
for the universal health care insurance proposal. One of the
sticking points--scanning through application folders and
other information--was dismissed when a Sonoma County group
allowed Mendocino Children's Health Initiative use of RefTrak,
software that enables collaboration.
By April, Mordhorst said she hopes to have
enough money to begin client enrollment. The effort will be
aided by a new fund created by the Community Foundation of
Mendocino, which has already received tax-deductible donations
for the cause.
"Our group originally felt we would
have to do it on our own by relying on the benevolence of
willing people," Mordhorst said.
But a meeting with County Executive Officer
John Ball altered her viewpoint on fund-raising, she said.
Ball recommended pursuing permanent funding from reliable
entities that would benefit from CalKids, like schools, hospitals,
clinics and the county. Mordhorst said some small business
owners offered to contribute, knowing that they could not
themselves offer the appropriate insurance.
The Initiative's next step? Creating a logo
as part of the approaching marketing campaign, Mordhorst said.
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