Grant Will Help Families Enroll in Florida KidCare

Grant funding for outreach services—aimed at helping eligible local families enroll in Florida’s free- or low-cost health insurance program called KidCare—has been renewed by the Winter Park Health Foundation (WPHF) through its Children & Youth Work Group.

Work group members approved a $24,680 grant to the Healthy Start Coalition to cover the cost of providing an outreach specialist to continue to work with families in Winter Park, Maitland and Eatonville during the 2011-2012 school year.

In presenting the proposal to work group members, Debbie Watson, WPHF Vice President, noted the need for health insurance is growing.  More than 18 percent of Florida’s children lack health insurance—double the national average, according to a report by the Children’s Movement of Florida.

She also noted that while Florida legislators recently approved an increase in funding for the KidCare insurance coverage, they provided no financial support to promote enrollment. The outreach worker funded through WPHF will make sure local families will know about the program and help them enroll.

This outreach effort is a model for the state, said Ms. Watson, and it has resulted in consistent increases in enrollment among local families who need this help. “It is a successful effort.”