SUCCESS THROUGH COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS
Health Resource Coordinator
Did you know that over 25% of children in Franklin County do not have health insurance?
Communities In Schools has a full-time staff person whose main goal is to enroll families in Franklin County in the Healthy Start/Healthy Families no-cost insurance program so that no child is without health insurance.
She is also focused on identifying and coordinating health care and wellness-related community resources, opportunities and providers to support students, families and staff (especially nurses) in the Columbus and Whitehall City Schools. She takes referrals from many sources and follows up with home visits.
The Health Resource Coordinator has experience advocating for families at Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and assists families with their annual renewal process.
In addition, she provides links to community resources directly related to health, such as asthma, immunizations, infant health, diabetes, dental care, eye glasses, and mental health counseling.
Last school year, she personally submitted 125 applications for Healthy Start/Healthy Families, and assisted with the process of many more. With follow-up, each application averages over 5 hours to complete. CIS has developed a 90 minute training module that the Health Resource Coordinator offers to agencies whose clientele includes families eligible for this insurance. The goal is to train staffs to complete the application with families, inform them of what documents are needed, and ease the bureaucracy when submitting.
The Health Resource Coordinator has also been trained in the Ohio Benefit Bank, a web-enabled, counselor-assisted program that helps low- and moderate-income Ohioans identify available benefits while filing their taxes - such as the Earned Income Tax Credit, food stamps, child care subsidies, home energy assistance and free and reduced lunch.
