Community: Santa Clarita (County of Los Angeles)

Population: 177,045

Summary

The City of Santa Clarita’s goals included educating families about the health coverage options available for children and providing several different types of enrollment opportunities to accommodate residents’ needs and preferences. The city distributed information about affordable children’s health insurance to parents in variety of ways, by working through one of the city’s neighborhood community centers and collaborating with schools and community organizations. Santa Clarita trained a staff member to become a certified application assistant who was then able to help families complete the enrollment applications. The city partnered with local health plans and the county Children’s Health Initiative to offer several enrollment activities at the community center.

Program Highlights

• The city identified the neighborhood community center as a safe gathering place recognized by local residents and used it as a focal point for its activities to reach families.
• Diverse outreach activities included bus ads, multiple community events, information provided through Boys and Girls Clubs, inserts in paychecks through a temporary employment agency and information at community college childcare center.
• A staff member became a certified application assistant to help families fill out the Healthy Families and Medi-Cal health coverage applications.
• The city also used a bilingual staff member to canvass the neighborhood and talk with families about affordable health insurance options for their children.

The city used a neighborhood community center as a primary source of information because local residents considered it a safe place and viewed the center staff as trusted resources. Staff members were able to personally invite families to participate in enrollment activities and served as effective ambassadors for the program. Offering application assistance and resources by appointment, as well as for walk-ins, proved successful in helping eligible residents enroll their children in affordable health insurance.