The MPCA is involved in outreach efforts to raise awareness of the services available at community health centers (CHCs) for the insured, uninsured and underinsured of all ages. Additionally, the MPCA conducts outreach efforts to address the biggest barrier to accessing health care services – the lack of health insurance – by increasing awareness of:

• Public health insurance programs such as Medicaid and MC+, Missouri’s insurance program for families
• Programs for Missouri seniors
  • Dual eligibility – Medicaid benefits for low-income seniors receiving Medicare
  • Missouri SeniorRx – assists seniors with rising prescription drug costs

Approximately 574,328 (or 11.78%) of Missouri’s non-elderly population were without health insurance for all of 2001. In addition, in 2001-2002 an estimated 1.18 million (or 24.3%) Missourians under age 65 had no health insurance for at least part of the year.

Many of these people, including children under age 19, their parents, pregnant women and the low-income elderly, were eligible but unenrolled in Medicaid and MC+ programs, including MC+ for Kids, Missouri’s Children’s Health Insurance Program.

To help increase application and enrollment in Medicaid/MC+, the MPCA conducts three outreach programs, all managed by MPCA staff member, Lane DePrima Jacobs:

• CHC Outreach and Enrollment Network
  • Since 1997, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration’s Bureau of Primary Health Care, has provided the MPCA with funding and training to support a Medicaid/MC+ outreach and enrollment network for Missouri CHCs. This allows the MPCA to act as a resource and facilitator for CHC’s through the Network list serve, conference calls, site visits and group training.
• Women and Minority Health Project
  • Through a contract with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, the MPCA has administered the Women and Minority Health Project since July 1, 2000. Using strategic, aggressive outreach and enrollment efforts for Medicaid/MC+ programs, this initiative strives to reduce health disparities for minority populations through regular health care, made more likely by being insured. Currently, seven CHCs are involved in this project.

  • Grace Hill Neighborhood Health Centers
    
  • People's Health Centers
    
  • Family Care Health Centers of St. Louis
    
  • Swope Parkway Health Center
    
  • Myrtle H. Davis Comprehensive Health Center
    
  • Samuel U. Rodgers Community Health Center
    

  • Southeast Missouri Health Network
    
    

• Missouri’s Robert Wood Johnson Covering Kids and Families Initiative
  • On September 1, 2002, the MPCA was named the lead organization for Missouri’s Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Covering Kids and Families Initiative renewal grant. In this capacity, the MPCA is responsible for strategies addressing statewide Medicaid/MC+ outreach, enrollment simplification and program coordination. Other components include coordination of the 70-member MC+ Statewide Coalition, as well as funding and oversight of three local projects in St. Louis, Kansas City and Washington County.

For More Information about the Women and Minority Health Outreach Project, the MC+ Statewide Coalition and Missouri SeniorRx contact:

Lane DePrima Jacobs
Program Manager, Health Outreach and Community Relations
Missouri Primary Care Association
573-636-4222
ljacobs@mo-pca.org

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