Thursday, April 10, 2025
4/10/2025
Connecting Kids to Coverage HEALTHY KIDS 2022 Outreach and Enrollment Cooperative Agreements - The Arizona Association of Community Health Centers (AACHC, dba Arizona Alliance for Community Health Centers), located in Phoenix, Arizona has served as Arizona’s Primary Care Association since 1985. AACHC proposes to continue its Connecting Kids to Coverage (CKC) collaboration with eight Community Health Centers and three community-based organizations. AACHC works closely with all 23 of Arizona’s Community Health Centers/Federally Qualified Health Centers on a variety of issues, programs, and initiatives, including provision of support and technical assistance to health center Outreach and Enrollment programs. Arizona is among the states with the highest uninsured rate for children. Arizona’s total uninsured rate is more than three percent higher than the country’s average, and childhood-uninsured rates are three and a half percent higher than the national average. AACHC proposes to continue using existing partners from the 2019-2022 Healthy Kids funding cycle which include health centers and mobile enrollment partners to reach, enroll, and renew eligible uninsured children, parents, and pregnant individuals for Medicaid and CHIP. Each partner was selected because of their extensive experience in Medicaid and CHIP enrollment with hard-to-reach populations, cultural awareness of the areas they serve, bilingual staff, community rapport in their respective service areas, and a deep commitment to reaching additional uninsured children, parents, and pregnant individuals. Partners in the CKC project are also well-positioned to educate and inform Arizona communities about the unwinding of the Public Health Emergency. Partners understand the key role they will play in helping mitigate loss of health coverage through various evidence-based outreach strategies. AACHC has set a goal of 23,027 enrolling children, parents, and pregnant individuals during the three-year project period. Partners will provide services in five counties across the state, two of which (Maricopa and Pima Counties) have more than 76% of Arizona’s population. Eight partners will focus their efforts on Maricopa County, one partner to the north in Coconino County, and two partners in Southern Arizona’s Pinal and Santa Cruz counties. This collaborative effort will build upon the previous funding cycle to increase outreach efforts related to the unwinding of the Public Health Emergency and enrollment assistance for renewals and eligible yet uninsured children, parents, and pregnant individuals. During the initial 90 days of the CKC grant, AACHC will host training workshops and review work plans related to outreach and enrollment. Focus areas include: the unwinding of the Public Health Emergency, back to school, and post-Marketplace enrollment. AACHC will review and assist in the process to ensure that evidence-based outreach strategies are employed. Progress against each plan will be monitored. AACHC will provide support and technical assistance for all partners. The 11 proposed project partners use Health-E-Arizona-Plus, the state Medicaid and CHIP enrollment platform and have a successful history of hiring and training outreach and enrollment staff. Each partner has existing relationships with schools and other organizations that serve low-income children, parents, and pregnant individuals. AACHC will also leverage the Cover Arizona and Cover Kids Coalitions as well as other marketing efforts to continue to engage stakeholders and the community about Medicaid and CHIP coverage for children, parents, and pregnant individuals.
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).