In Kern County alone there are an estimated 33,000 uninsured children between the ages of 0-19. Of those children, it is estimated that 6,000 are at or under the age of 5. Of the 6,000, an estimated 4,000 are eligible for Healthy Families and Medi-Cal with the remaining 2,000 being ineligible for any type of health program. To help fill the gap, First 5 Kern launched the Children's Health Initiative (CHI) which is a strategic plan to ensure all children (0-5) have health and development services regardless of their ability to pay for those services. This strategic plan has two objectives addressing early screening and children's access to medical, dental, and mental health care:

1. Support efforts to increase enrollment in Medi-Cal or Healthy Families; and

2. Provide a new health insurance program to provide health care to low income children that do not qualify for Medi-Cal or Healthy Families.

Staff from First 5 Kern, consultants and representatives from the Kern County Network for Children set up and conducted seven community meetings around the county. These meetings were held to inform community members, service providers and health care practitioners about the CHI and what has been done to date. The meetings were also a chance for First 5 Kern staff to learn about the health care needs in the community and the health access barriers that prevent families from accessing health care services.

First 5 Kern and CHI staff frequently give updates on the progress of the CHI at First 5 Kern bimonthly Commission meetings. For more information check the Commission agenda posted on the website and look for items noting the Children's Health Initiative updates.

HISTORY OF THE CHILDREN'S HEALTH INITIATIVE

Implementation of the Children's Health Initiative began in September 2003 when the Commission approved the release of four (4) Requests for Proposals (RFP) aimed at increasing children's health access. The first RFP, Outreach and Enrollment Committee, was released in December 2003. This purpose of this RFP was to identify an agency or organization willing to staff and coordinate a countywide outreach and enrollment committee. The Committee would bring together outreach and enrollment agencies in an effort to address barriers and gaps and to create a work plan for overcoming such barriers. In March 2004, a grant in the amount of $50,000 was awarded to the Friends of Mercy Foundation to staff the Outreach and Enrollment Committee.

The second RFP, Increasing the Pool of Certified Application Assisters, was released in January 2004. The purpose of this RFP was to identify one or more qualified agencies or organizations, already engaged in children's health insurance enrollment activities, to increase the pool of Certified Application Assisters. In May 2004, two (2) grants were awarded, each in the amount of $250,000, to agencies already involved in health insurance outreach and enrollment. Those agencies were the Kern County Department of Public Health - CHDP Program and, Clinica Sierra Vista, Inc.

The third RFP, Health Insurance Coverage for Uninsured Children in Kern County, was released in March 2004. The purpose of this RFP was to identify a Knox-Keene licensed medical, dental, and vision health plan or provider group to provide comprehensive health care coverage for children. In May 2004, Health Net of California, Inc., (Health Net) submitted a proposal to provide prepaid comprehensive health care coverage for the children of Kern County. The proposal was reviewed by an Independent Evaluation Committee and a recommendation to enter into contract negotiations was presented to the Commission at its meeting of July 7, 2004. The Commission approved the recommendation and authorized staff to begin contract negotiations with Health Net. In October 2004, the Healthy Kids Kern County program (with Health Net as the provider) was launched.

First 5 Kern contracted with the Kern County Department of Human Services to serve as the enrolling agency for the Healthy Kids Kern County program. It was the goal of the Commission to ensure that families have a "one open door" to enrollment into existing health insurance programs. The Kern County Department of Human Services is the local county agency responsible for eligibility determination for the Medi-Cal program. It was a logical strategy to contract with DHS to provide the same function for the HKKC program. DHS serves as a one-stop shop for eligibility determination for Medi-Cal, Healthy Families, and Healthy Kids.

As a result of these grant awards and contracts over 6,000 children and pregnant women have been assisted with enrollment into Medi-Cal, Healthy Families, Kaiser Cares for Kids, and the Healthy Kids Kern County program. In March 2005 enrollment into the Healthy Kids Kern County program began and continues today.