The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #69831

Anisha Patel, MD, MPH, Janine S. Bishop, MPH, and Lisa J. Chamberlain, MD, MPH. Division of Pediatrics, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, 750 Welch Road, Suite 325, Palo Alto, CA 94304, 650-497-0295, anisha_patel@med.unc.edu

There are over a million uninsured children in California—many of whom lack access to insurance and information necessary to utilize health services. Innovative efforts to increase enrollment and promote utilization of health services are needed. Physicians provide a unique and respected voice capable of reaching out to diverse populations.

The Physician Outreach Project at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford University, is a partnership with community health workers (CHWs) to increase children’s health insurance enrollment and utilization by engaging pediatricians in a three tiered outreach approach.

1. Increase enrollment through community presentations: Pediatric residents give culturally appropriate and bilingual presentations describing the benefits of health insurance in various community settings, in conjunction with enrollment presentations from CHWs.

2. Increase enrollment through resident education: Residents participate in an educational seminar focused on issues facing the uninsured. They receive training on a web-based resource, which facilitates the distribution of information to uninsured families (e.g. how to obtain enrollment assistance from CHWs).

3. Increase utilization through education classes: Residents give bilingual presentations to parents of newly enrolled children about the importance of utilizing health services regularly through their medical home, with an emphasis on preventive care. Presentations are in conjunction with community-based health insurance education classes designed to teach families how to access and use their health insurance benefits.

This multi tiered approach highlights opportunities for physicians to engage in community outreach, which strengthens the work of CHWs by providing a trusted and respected voice to the discussion of children’s health insurance.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify opportunities for the medical community to engage in local outreach efforts.
• Provide specific, culturally competent strategies and resources to reach and enroll uninsured children, with a specific focus on Latino children.
• Provide a framework to integrate physicians into the community outreach process aimed at enrolling children in health insurance programs and encouraging them to utilize health services.

Keywords: Access to Health Care, Collaboration

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.