Announcing the 2023 Care Connection Grantees

The REACH Foundation recently awarded Building Connections to Coverage and Care Grants to 14 organizations in our 6-county service area, totaling $605,000. These grants were awarded as part of our Bridging the Coverage Divide outcome area, to support connecting health care consumers to culturally appropriate providers, health insurance, and other public benefits.

This funding supports outreach and enrollment assistance for several publicly available benefits:

• Healthcare.gov
• Medicaid
• CHIP – Children’s Health Insurance Program
• TANF – Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
• SNAP – Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
• CCAP – Child Care Assistance Program
• SSI – Supplemental Security Income
• WIC – Women, Infants, and Children
• And more

REACH placed particular emphasis on programs working with BIPOC-led and serving organizations, as well as immigrant, refugee, and rural serving organizations. We acknowledge that social determinants of health, systemic racism, language barriers, fear of deportation and discrimination, stigma, and long-term underinvestment in rural and low-income communities are key drivers of inequitable health outcomes. These grants work to address these issues by supporting organizations on the ground that connect their community to health resources that may be otherwise unobtainable.

To learn more about our Community Investment Framework and how we prioritize funding, please visit the focus area section of our website.

The following organizations will receive 12-month grants:

Organization
Project name
Project purpose
Amount awarded

Kansas

Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas
Connections to Coverage and Care – Allen County
Connect patients and their families to health insurance coverage and other social assistance programs.
$45,000

Community Health Council Of Wyandotte County Inc.
Kansas Assistance Network (KAN) and CHW Bridges to Health Project “KAN CHW Bridges to Health”
Provide outreach and enrollment in public benefits and connection to services through the Bridges to Health Project.
$45,000

Cross-Lines Community Outreach Inc.
Health and Benefits Navigator
Assist persons with a disabling condition and experiencing homelessness, or at-risk of homelessness, in accessing eligible public benefits and/or health care resources.
$40,000

El Centro, Inc.
Health Navigation Program
Increase and improve access to quality, affordable healthcare services and coverage through Health Navigators for underserved Latino individuals and their families in Wyandotte and Johnson Counties.
$45,000

Missouri

Altruism Media Inc.
The MaIH Project: Building Connections to Coverage and Care
Support The MalH Project with a CHW who will work with women during their prenatal and postnatal visits by connecting them to social care and health care services.
$40,000

Budget And Financial Management Assistance
Enrollment First
Provide connection to whole person care, budgeting, and financial management for people receiving disability benefits with a mental health diagnosis.
$35,000

Compass Health Network
Health Navigator
Fund one fulltime Cass County, MO focused Health Navigator.
$40,000

HCC Network
HCC Network Building Connections to Coverage and Care
Provide care coordination services, including public benefit enrollment, utilizing community health workers.
45,000

Jewish Vocational Service Bureau Of Kansas City
JVS Social Work Adult & Family
Provide case management services for immigrant and refugee consumers through the Social Work Adult and Family program.
$45,000

KC CARE Health Center
KC CARE Coverage, Support, and Connection
Provide care coordination services through health navigators and community health workers.
$45,000

Migrant Farmworkers Assistance Fund
Farmworkers and Families — Advocacy, Healthcare and Support for workers who harvest our food
Provide intensive case management to ensure that migrant/seasonal farmworkers and their families have access to health care and public benefits.
$45,000

Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center, Inc.
Building Connections
Provide culturally appropriate outreach and application assistance to consumers applying for public benefits, including Medicaid/CHIP, KanCare, and the Health Insurance Marketplace.
$45,000

Sisters In Christ
The Raytown Safe Zone Neighborhood Hub
Connect police officers, school officials, hospitals, and community agencies in the Safe Zone Neighborhood Hub in Raytown to one trusted agency (Sisters in Christ) to connect individuals and families to mental health and wraparound services.
$45,000

University Health Charitable Foundation
Benefits Enrollment: Expanding Our Reach
Increase access to healthcare and benefits for youth and adults who are homeless.
$45,000

📷: Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center