Access to Quality Healthcare

In 2002, First 5 Yolo completed a community needs assessment by conducting focus groups with parents and families residing in Yolo County. In nearly all the focus groups conducted, families identified healthcare as a major area of need for their children. As a result, the Commission updated its Strategic Plan and identified the "Access to Quality Healthcare Initiative" as one of its major funding priority areas. After thorough research, First 5 Yolo determined that access to affordable, comprehensive health insurance is the necessary foundation to ensure children receive the healthcare services they need.

As a result of the convening efforts of First 5 Yolo, a Children's Health Initiative (CHI) was formed in March 2005. This group focuses on the broader goals of the CHI, which are to create and communicate the vision of the CHI as a public/private partnership to ensure all children in Yolo County have access to quality healthcare, including mental and dental services, and to participate in and advocate for statewide policy reform that will stimulate institutional changes regarding access and quality of healthcare delivery. In addition, the CHI has a steering committee that meets on a quarterly basis and five subcommittees that convene regularly: Quality Assurance, Product Development, Fundraising, Health Insurance Coordinating and Policy.

Yolo County now has a fully operational CHI and a locally funded Healthy Kids insurance product for children ages 0-18. The CHI is a collaborative project of First 5 Yolo and the Yolo County Children's Alliance. First 5 Yolo processes Healthy Kids' applications for children ages 0-5, and Partnership HealthPlan administers the insurance product. First 5 Yolo contributes up to $350,000 annually to cover insurance premiums for children ages 0-5. The CHI has been extremely successful in raising funds to cover children ages 6-18 from Yolo County. The California Endowment, Blue Shield Foundation, the Teichert Foundation, local businesses and individual donors have all provided funds for premiums. Kaiser Permanente provides children unlimited access to the Kaiser Child Health Plan (in specific ZIP-code areas served by Kaiser), so families have an option when it comes to their child's health-insurance product.

www.YoloHealthyKids.org

It is estimated nearly 3,605 (7 percent) children in Yolo County are currently uninsured; 985 between the ages of prenatal to 5 and 2,620 between the ages of 6 and 18. Approximately two-thirds of all uninsured children meet income eligibility criteria for other public health programs but are not enrolled. In order to address this issue, First 5 Yolo has committed $125,000 a year for five years for outreach, enrollment, utilization and retention services to ensure children who are eligible for existing public health insurance programs are enrolled. The contract, implemented by the Yolo County Children's Alliance, funds a portion of the countywide outreach coordinator as well as two certified application assistors who locate eligible families and help them enroll in a variety of health insurance programs, including Healthy Kids.

Outreach, Enrollment, Retention and Utilization Outcomes FY 05-06:

Two hundred eighty-four children ages 0-5 were enrolled in health insurance programs.
Eighty-one children ages 0-5 enrolled in Yolo Healthy Kids.
Two hundred three children ages 6-18 enrolled in Healthy Kids.
One hundred twelve children ages 0-5 retained their health insurance.
One hundred forty children ages 0-5 used their health insurance benefits.
Twenty-five percent increase in Healthy Families enrollment in Yolo County for January - May 2006 as compared to January - May 2005.
Funds were raised for premium assistance to enroll children ages 6-18 in Healthy Kids.

Finally, First 5 Yolo has committed $150,000 per year for quality improvement activities in pediatric healthcare in the county. The Quality Assurance subcommittee of the CHI works to identify problem areas, prioritizes identified problems and develops program interventions and/or collaborations with others in the county in three areas: oral health, mental health and childhood obesity. Some of these funds are used to support training for primary care providers to improve screening skills for oral and mental health issues, applying fluoride varnish to young children and for dentists on how to work with young children.

CHI QA Plan

In addition to our three major healthcare areas (health insurance, quality assurance and outreach), several special projects were funded in the area of improving children's health.

Healthy Kids of Clarksburg
The Healthy Kids of Clarksburg program is administered by the River Delta Joint Unified School District to provide outreach, enrollment, utilization and retention services to children living in rural West Sacramento. Children and families receive bi-lingual education regarding health insurance options, transportation to medical appointments and are followed through a health insurance case management program to ensure optimal outcomes.

Family Skills Curriculum: Illness and Injury Prevention
Families in Self Help (FISH), Inc. provides the immigrant population in West Sacramento with a series of classes in English, Spanish and Russian related to home safety, sanitation, first aid and CPR. Immigrant families with young children in the home receive safety equipment such as smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and childproofing supplies.

Movable Market
The Food Bank of Yolo County is funded to distribute fresh fruit and vegetables to low-income families with young children throughout the county. Food bank staff provides two bags of produce, recipes, cooking demonstrations, and informational workshops to parents at a variety of locations, including Head Start, libraries, apartment complexes, etc.

Breastfeeding Rates Study
The Yolo County Health Department is funded to conduct a breastfeeding rates study among recently delivered mothers (with children up to 6 months of age) to determine rates of breastfeeding throughout the county. Up to 400 mothers are being recruited through their medical providers to be surveyed via phone regarding breastfeeding practices. A report on rates will be provided to the community in summer 2007.