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Story posted December, 2007

Results:
• Contributed to the addition of 400,000 children to California health insurance enrollments from 2002 to 2007

California teachers have linked thousands of low-income kids to health care because, as the Teachers for Healthy Kids (THK) project puts it, "healthy children make better learners." This initiative, a joint effort of the California Teachers Association and the California Association of Health Plans, connects teachers with information and parents with services to help ensure that the state's uninsured children receive the health care they so desperately need to succeed in school - and in life.

Access to excellent, affordable health care is a major challenge for millions of families across the country. When families have to choose between paying the rent and paying an eye doctor, it is not hard to see which will win out. As a result, for too many low-income kids, poor health becomes an impediment to learning. When the THK project began in 2002, in California alone over 1.2 million children were uninsured. Many of those children were eligible for free or low-cost health coverage. When THK became part of the efforts to connect the school community with the health care community, exciting things began to happen.

Begun in 2002 with funding from The California Endowment, THK is based on the simple premise that teachers are a vital and trusted link to parents. The initiative provides teachers with information about health care plans, so that they can encourage parents of uninsured children to apply for coverage. Teachers need not be experts; they are simply the "trusted messengers."

Parents then work directly with the health plan providers to determine their children's eligibility for coverage. In addition to making the connection between teachers and parents, THK also works through the Teacher Association, school districts and individual schools to incorporate outreach into the school calendar, disseminate health surveys to parents, and schedule enrollment events. As Carolyn Doggett, Executive Director of the California Teachers Association, describes: "over the course of the THK program, we've sent more than a million pieces of mail to teachers across the state and distributed 2.8 million leaflets to families through teachers. We've provided resource bags to more than 50,000 teachers and have sponsored programs in more than 125 school districts."

While Ms. Doggett does not want to take all the credit for the drop in the number of uninsured in California (approximately 400,000 more children have health insurance in 2007 than in 2002), she notes: "about half of the newly-enrolled families are reporting that they learned about programs through their school." Already THK is serving as a model that extends beyond the school community. Cities and counties recently received funding from the Wellpoint Foundation to replicate the program in their recreation and after-school programs, and other venues - wherever people have an opportunity to let families know that their children may be eligible for health services and provide opportunities to assist with enrollment.

Building on the lesson that "teachers can't teach to an empty desk," THK serves as special model of communities and schools joining forces to help children succeed.

Further details about this story can be found in our sources:
Carolyn Doggett, "Speech delivered at LFA Summit", March 2007

Teachers for Healthy Kids

For Additional Information, Please Contact:
Hellan Roth Dowden
Project Manager, Teachers for Healthy Kids
916-440-8811
dowden@teachersforhealthykids.com

Photos from http://www.teachersforhealthykids.com/