Public-Private Partnerships Promote Children’s Health
by Mayor Rudy Giuliani

Last year, I launched HealthStat, a comprehensive, citywide initiative to provide uninsured New Yorkers with access to existing heath insurance programs such as Medicaid and Child Health Plus. I am pleased to announce that the first year of HealthStat was a tremendous success and we have programs in place to ensure that 2001 will bring even bigger gains.

Prior to HealthStat, there were an estimated 325,000 uninsured children in New York City who were eligible for Medicaid or Child Health Plus. In just one year, children’s enrollment in these programs grew by 125,000. We are well on our way to ensuring that all children receive the vital heath coverage for which they are eligible.

To build on last year’s momentum, I have added a new component to HealthStat called the School Incentive Program. This initiative offers cash awards to schools that help enroll uninsured children in Medicaid and Child Health Plus. Schools can win up to $50,000, depending on the number of uninsured children they enroll. More than 200 schools are actively participating in this program today.

The rules are simple: schools enrolling 70 percent of their uninsured children in insurance programs qualify for a $25,000 award; schools enrolling 100 percent of their uninsured children qualify for $50,000. Schools with fewer than 100 uninsured children are eligible for smaller awards. The awards can be used for any educational purpose, such as buying new computers or purchasing new books for the library.

Schools are embracing this program because they know that children without access to regular health care are 25 percent more likely to miss school. A healthy child is a better student. And the cash awards allow schools to provide extra services to students.

Many schools are working with other City agencies or private partners to sponsor enrollment activities. For example, the Fire Department recently sponsored a Health Fair for the families of children in PS 75 in Brooklyn. The FDNY collaborated with Wyckoff Medical Center to provide free health screenings for families. Enrollers were at the Health Fair to assist parents in signing up their children for Medicaid or Child Health Plus.

Now that the school year has come to an end, the City will be presenting the first round of cash awards to several schools that have hit their enrollment targets. Schools will continue working through the summer and the next school year to identify uninsured children and get them enrolled in health programs. Ask your children’s principal if your school is participating and how you can help.

To learn whether you or your children could qualify for Medicaid, Child Health Plus, or Family Health Plus, call the City’s new automated phone line at 1-888-NYC-6116. #

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