Coalition Members

Bower Foundation

Catholic Charities

Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

Children’s Health Matters

Children’s Defense Fund - Southern Regional Office

Communication Arts Company

Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi

Godwin Group

Hinds County Health Alliance

Leadership Jackson

Leadership Mississippi

Mississippi Forum on Children & Families

Mississippi Chapter/American Academy of Pediatrics

Mississippi Department of Education

Mississippi Department of Human Services

Mississippi Head Start

Mississippi Health Advocacy Program

Mississippi Hospital Association

Mississippi Human Services Coalition

Mississippi Low Income Child Care Initiative

Mississippi Primary Health Care Association

Mississippi State Department of Health

Mississippi Department of Mental Health

Office of Hispanic Ministry-Catholic Diocese of Jackson

Postal Business Center (USPS)

Public Policy Center of Mississippi

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation - Covering Kids & Families Staff

Sacred Heart Southern Missions

Sanderson Farms

Social Security Administration

System of Care for Children & Youth

United Way of the Capital Area

Telesouth Communication

The Office of the Governor, Division of Medicaid (DOM), has been designated by a Statewide Coalition to be the lead agency for preparing and administering the Covering Kids grant funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. An overview of Mississippi's grant can be found here.

The statewide coalition consists of both private and public agencies, organizations and associations from across the state who have been working together since 1998. Its goals match the goals of the Covering Kids grant. The purpose of the coalition is to raise awareness of the problem of uninsured children and to help children and families enroll in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 8.5 million children - nearly 12 percent of all children in the U.S. - have no health insurance. They come from every racial and ethnic background: Nearly 23 percent of Hispanic children are uninsured; 14 percent of African-American childern; 12 percent of Asian children; and nearly 8 percent of non-Hispanic white children.

Studies show that uninsured children do poorer in school than their insured classmates, and can suffer severe health consequences. Uninsured children are 70 percent less likely to receive care for common childhood conditions like ear infections. They're less likely to receive proper care for sore throats, ear aches and asthma, and are 30 percent less likely to get care when they're injured. Only 45.5 percent of uninsured children received one or more well-child visits in the past year, compared to 70 percent of privately or publicly insured children.

Goals

The goals of our Health Initiative Support Grant are:
1) to conduct and coordinate outreach programs;
2) to simplify the enrollment and the renewal process;
3) to coordinate existing state and local health care coverage programs;
4) and to create strategies and activities to remedy the current state of affairs which keep so many children in Mississippi lacking health care

Objectives

The specific objectives to accomplish these efforts will be done through a collaborative effort of the Lead Agency, the Statewide Coalition and two Local Coalitions (Hinds County Health Alliance and MS Forum on Children and Families). Each of these entities network to develop specific strategies in building and/or strengthening community-based groups to respond to the needs of the uninsured children adn families.

For information, call (601) 359-6181 or (601) 359-4594 or e-mail chbdj@medicaid.state.ms.us or chmdm@medicaid.state.ms.us.

Coalition Member Resources

Covering Kids & Families Retreat Summary
Coalition/District Contacts