School Health Initiatives Midwestern Regional Meeting July 23, 2008

1. School-Based Outreach and Enrollment in Health CoverageThe CHILD ProjectConnecting Health Insurance to Lunch Data School Health Initiatives Midwestern Regional Meeting July 23, 2008

2. CHILD Project Goals • Help schools act on their goals of improving the overall well-being of children • Enable children to do well in school by removing barriers to health care access and thereby improving health outcomes among Wisconsin’s school children • Increase enrollment in MA/SCHIP • Engage and involve schools in promoting MA/SCHIP • Identify and reach students in need of health insurance • Establish outreach strategies and enrollment processes that all schools can adapt and use General Outreach Targeted Outreach Personal Contact

3. Schools as Partners • Schools are key partners • Well-respected by families • Can provide link for low-income families to services • USDA guidelines allow data sharing between free and reduced price meal programs and state Medicaid programs • Seeks to improve the health of at-risk students

4. Superintendent’s Support “The (Department of Public Instruction) has encouraged schools to make the connection between the free and reduced price meals application and potential eligibility to the state Medicaid programs. We are excited that CKF-WI has recognized the leadership role it can play to help make this option a reality for schools and to substantially impact upon the health and success of so many of our students.” -- Elizabeth Burmaster, WI State Superintendent

5. Data Sharing: Outreach and Evaluation • Free and reduced price meal information – Allows CKF and partners to target outreach efforts to families • Directory data – Allows CKF to evaluate the effectiveness of outreach strategies • Health insurance status – Allows CKF to further target outreach to families most in need of health insurance

6. Making School Partnerships Work 1. Assess local capacities and level of interest • Review relevant local data • Identify local partners already in place or potentially available Challenges: • Limited availability or access to current data • Identifying and connecting with the right people

7. Making School Partnerships Work 2. Enlist & Cultivate local partners • Provide training for MA/SCHIP enrollment • Learn about existing school systems Challenges: • Fostering “buy-in” • Keeping expectations realistic

8. Making School Partnerships Work 3. Determine outreach strategies • Select and adapt materials for student population • Strategies differ through targeting specific populations, and by level of intensity of personal contact Challenges: • Choosing strategies that complement existing activities • Data sharing agreements and data sharing itself can be time intensive and complex processes

9. Making School Partnerships Work 4. Implement outreach strategies Challenges: • Time & Energy • Following through beyond providing information

10. Making School Partnerships Work 5. Evaluate Project Impact Challenges: • Matching children reached through outreach efforts with Program enrollment data • Isolating the effects of outreach efforts on changes in knowledge, attitudes, or coverage

11. Contact CKF-WI 1300 Linden Drive, Rm. 342 Madison, WI 53706 (608) 261-1455 Jeni Bingen, jlbingen@wisc.edu