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Community, Business Leaders Announce Restoration of the Children's Health Insurance Program

Posted on: Tuesday, 2 August 2005, 18:00 CDT

News Advisory:

-- Community, Business Leaders Announce Restoration of the Children's Health Insurance Program, Launch Citywide Campaign to Enroll Kids in Health Care Coverage

-- Dental, vision, hospice and mental health benefits have been restored to CHIP; Citywide drives to be held with McDonald's Restaurants, Fiesta Mart, Inc., Harris County Judge Robert Eckels and Clear Channel Outdoor

-- New research provides look at gaps in care among Texas children without health coverage

On August 4, 2005, the Children's Defense Fund of Texas and the Gulf Coast CHIP Coalition will launch an intensive month-long push to enroll eligible, uninsured children in the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Children's Medicaid. Houston is one of six target cities in the United States where the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Covering Kids & Families Initiative is concentrating its efforts.

The Covering Kids & Families Back-to-School Campaign will kick off with a news conference and outreach event to announce the restoration of CHIP benefits and to launch city-wide enrollment drives. A new analysis of Texas children from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will also be released. The study, conducted by the State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC) and the Urban Institute, documents the consequences of being uninsured and asserts the importance of enrolling kids in health care coverage programs. According to the data, many Texas children are eligible to receive low-cost or free health care coverage through CHIP and Children's Medicaid, but are not enrolled.

WHAT:

-- Kick-off press conference and enrollment event to unveil CHIP restoration and city-wide drives

-- Clear Channel Outdoor, Harris County Judge Robert Eckels and McDonald's Restaurants to unveil billboards promoting CHIP health coverage (63 have been put up citywide)

WHO:

-- State Representative Garnet F. Coleman

-- Sally Lehr, Chief of Staff, Harris County Judge Robert Eckels

-- Dan Wolterman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Memorial Hermann Healthcare System and Chairman, Health Care Advisory Committee, Greater Houston Partnership

-- Doug Adcock, President of the Board, McDonald's Operator Association of Greater Houston

-- Lee Vela, Public Affairs Director, Clear Channel Outdoor

-- Barbara Best, Texas Director, Children's Defense Fund and Chair, Gulf Coast CHIP Coalition

-- Families enrolled in CHIP

Note: Spanish speaking spokespersons will be available

WHERE:

-- Children's Museum of Houston - 1500 Binz, Houston, TX

WHEN:

-- AUGUST 4, 2005, 10:30AM

-- Information on CHIP/Children's Medicaid eligibility/income requirements and a listing of Back-to-School Campaign enrollment activities are available upon request.

-- Video footage of enrollment activities, including children headed back to school, children getting medical checkups, sound bites from the Washington, DC news event and a video PSA of an original anthem by Willie Colon will be available.

http://www.usnewswire.com

Source: U.S. Newswire

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