City of Dallas Receives Grant From National League of Cities

For Immediate Release

July 14, 2014

Contact

Karen D. Rayzer

Phone: 214-670-5711

 

City of Dallas Receives Grant From National League of Cities for Children and Families Insurance Campaign

Washington, DC – Dallas was one of eight cities selected by the National League of Cities (NLC) to receive $40,000 and technical assistance to help implement local outreach efforts to enroll children and families in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

“As a nation, we’ve made significant progress on enrolling eligible children in Medicaid and CHIP, but millions of children who qualify for coverage under these programs still need to sign up.  Cities are vital partners in outreach and enrollment efforts,” said Cindy Mann, Deputy Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  “We applaud National League of Cities for its leadership and support.” 

The Cities Expanding Health Access for Children and Families (CEHACF) Initiative will help cities implement comprehensive campaigns to enroll children and families in Medicaid and CHIP and reduce the uninsured rate for children and families by 50% in each of the cities. Families with health insurance reduce emergency room visits, avoid crushing health care costs, and have healthier children who perform better in school.

The City of Dallas in conjunction with the CHIP Coalition, Enroll Dallas, Baylor’s Texas Hunger Initiative, DISD Early Childhood and Community Partnerships, just to mention a few, will coordinate resources and communication to strengthen and expand outreach, education, utilization and retention in Dallas county.

NLC’s Institute for Youth, Education and Families is coordinating the initiative as part of a multi-year effort to increase access to health care for children and families funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies. Each city was chosen based on the quality and feasibility of business plans that were submitted in the spring.

“Each city chosen had a rigorous business plan that detailed a clear path forward to drive down the rate of the uninsured in their communities,” said Clarence Anthony, executive director of NLC. He continued, “Each city should be commended for the positive contributions they will make to their communities. There are clear benefits to the program with healthier kids meaning better high school and college completion rates and financial savings for the community.”

NLC will provide cities with customized assistance, access to best practices and national experts and opportunities for peer learning during the implementation process. Emphasis will be placed on cross-community collaboration among city agencies, school districts, hospitals and clinics and other community-based organizations.

The other cities selected are:

• ·         Savannah, Georgia
• ·         Jacksonville, Florida
• ·         Garden City, Michigan
• ·         New Bedford, Massachusetts
• ·         Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• ·         Hattiesburg, Mississippi
• ·         Providence, Rhode Island

 

The National League of Cities (NLC) is dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans.

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• NLCGrant.docx