Health Center Association of Nebraska is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) entity. We are seeking $840,000 in funding to support the 2023-2024 budget year for the Navigator Program in Nebraska.
HCAN will serve as the project lead, representing a consortium of six FQHCs and one Local Public Health Department in Nebraska. As the project lead, HCAN will direct, monitor, and support the program. Navigators at each consortium member will conduct outreach events, educate individuals on available health coverage options, assist individuals in enrolling in either ACA Marketplace or Medicaid coverage, and assist individuals with selecting a Qualified Health Plan. The following consortium members will perform Navigator activities under this cooperative agreement: Charles Drew Health Center Inc. (Omaha); Community Action Health Center (Gering); Good Neighbor Community Health Center (Columbus); Heartland Health Center (Grand Island); Midtown Health Center (Norfolk); OneWorld Community Health Centers Inc. (Omaha); and Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department (Lincoln).
This statewide consortium will maximize the impact of the Navigator funding, bringing comprehensive support directly to Nebraska's underserved populations. The consortium members are geographically located in areas where vulnerable populations reside, thus being able to reach the targeted groups for the purposes of this grant. The Navigators are culturally and linguistically representative of the communities they serve, including being bilingual, in order to establish trust with the individuals being served. While Navigator services will be accessible to all Nebraskans, vulnerable and historically excluded populations will be specifically targeted, including racial and ethnic minorities; refugee and immigrant populations; rural populations; low income individuals; uninsured and underinsured individuals; individuals experiencing homelessness; LGBTQIA+ individuals; and people with disabilities or cognitive, hearing, speech or vision impairments.
The consortium will serve populations in 61 different counties, which represent the vast majority of the state's population. The following counties will be targeted: Adams, Antelope, Banner, Boone, Box Butte, Boyd, Buffalo, Burt, Butler, Cass, Cedar, Chase, Cherry, Cheyenne, Clay, Colfax, Cuming, Custer, Dawes, Dawson, Dixon, Dodge, Douglas, Dundy, Gage, Garden, Gosper, Hall, Hamilton, Hayes, Holt, Howard, Jefferson, Johnson, Kearney, Kimball, Knox, Lancaster, Lincoln, Madison, Merrick, Morrill, Nance, Nuckolls, Otoe, Perkins, Phelps, Pierce, Platte, Polk, Red Willow, Sarpy, Saunders, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, Sioux, Stanton, Washington, Wayne, Wheeler, and York. According to the 2019 Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, produced by the United States Census, 92% of Nebraska's total uninsured population resides in the 61 counties covered in this proposal.
HCAN anticipates that there will be 18 active Navigator staff who are federally trained and certified/recertified by October 1, 2023. Of that total, 12 are full-time Navigators, 6 are part-time Navigators, and 0 are volunteer. HCAN anticipates there will be 18 active Navigator staff who are federally trained and certified/recertified by January 16, 2024, through the end of the budget year. Of that total, 12 are full-time Navigators, 6 are part-time Navigators, and 0 are volunteer.