Cooperative Agreement to Support Navigators in Federally Facilitated Exchanges - Health Center Association of Nebraska is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) entity. HCAN is funded as a Primary Care Association (PCA) through a Cooperative Agreement with the Health Resources Services Administration’s (HRSA) Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC). HCAN is also the current Navigator awardee for Nebraska. We are seeking $1,250,000 per year for five years, for a total of $6,250,000 in funding to support the Nebraska Navigator Program. HCAN will serve as the project lead, representing the Nebraska Navigator Consortium, 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, direct all marketing and print materials development, and staff 1.05 FTE Navigators for direct consumer support. 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, assist individuals with selecting Qualified Health Plan, and provide post-enrollment support. 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. While Navigator services will be accessible to all Nebraskans HCAN and consortium members will prioritize low-income individuals (those below 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL), racial and ethnic minorities, rural communities, and those individuals best served in a language other than English. 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 will be culturally and linguistically representative of the communities they serve, including being bilingual, to establish trust with the individuals being served. 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 Counties. According to the 2021 Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, the 61 counties served by this grant encompass 93% of the total uninsured population of the state. HCAN anticipates hiring 21 total Navigators, with 17 active Navigator staff fully federally trained and certified/recertified by October 1, 2024, and the remaining 4 Navigators fully federally trained and certified/recertified by November 1, 2024. Of that total, 18 are full-time Navigators, 1 is a 0.5 FTE part-time Navigator, 1 is a .05 FTE Navigator, and 1 is a 1.0 FTE volunteer Navigator.
