Sunday, May 11, 2025
5/11/2025
ENTRA -- "Everyone Needs Tender Respectful Attention" - Abstract Servicios de la Raza (SDLR) is a 50-year-old, Latino-led nonprofit organization headquartered in Denver that serves the entire state of Colorado. In 2021, SDLR served 64,733 people across all of its programs. SDLR proposes to leverage the trust it has built among the hardest-to-reach Latino families to enroll more children in Medicaid (called Health First Colorado) or CHIP (called the Colorado Child Health Plan Plus—CHP+). SDLR’s project called ENTRA (Everyone Needs Tender Respectful Attention; “entra” also means “entrance” in Spanish) will intentionally target areas throughout Colorado where there are large numbers of eligible, but not enrolled (EBNE) Latino children. Since 2014, SDLR has been exceptionally effective at helping Latinos apply for and enroll in Medicaid and CHIP through its well-honed process to demystify the application process and provide one-on-one support, removing barriers and stigma while reflecting the values and culture treasured by Latinos. For example, SDLR’s approach will use culturally appropriate outreach messages that underscore the values that resonate with its target population, e.g., the importance of protecting their families and providing for their children. All program staff are bilingual in English and Spanish and are also members of the Latino community themselves. ENTRA will provide: culturally and linguistically appropriate outreach, including partnerships with Spanish-language radio and TV stations; training to promote referrals of SDLR’s clients who are enrolled in other programs; partnerships with other organizations that serve Latinos to promote referrals to ENTRA; in-person and virtual direct application and enrollment assistance in Spanish or English; and statewide enrollment events planned alongside promotoras (community health workers). Events will also be held at partnering health clinics and schools throughout the year and more frequently during peak enrollment times. These activities will allow ENTRA to reach its ov erall goal of submitting 19,469 applications for children, parents and pregnant individuals over the three-year project period. The table below shows SDLR’s additional goals by year: SDLR’s goals for ENTRA: Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Children for whom a health coverage application will be submitted 4,400 4,705 5,050 Children who will be newly enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP 3,300 3,529 3,788 Children who will be renewed in Medicaid or CHIP 1,100 1,176 1,262 Parents for whom a health coverage application will be submitted 1,000 1,117 1,250 Parents newly enrolled in Medicaid 300 335 375 Parents renewed in Medicaid 700 782 875 Pregnant individuals for whom an app. for health coverage will be submitted 600 647 700 Pregnant individuals newly enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP 480 518 560 Pregnant individuals who will be renewed (postpartum coverage) 120 129 140 The total budget for ENTRA is $1,500,000 over the three-year project. Funding from CMS will be used to hire, train and equip a full-time CMS program coordinator and four full-time enrollment specialists (three of whom will be mobile) to increase SDLR’s capacity to provide direct enrollment assistance to more people than it can assist with existing staff. This will increase staff to 6.48 FTE compared with the existing 1.6 FTE. Funding will also be used to purchase outreach materials and advertising and supplies to brand and market the program.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).