USM builds on success enrolling kids in health care
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) – Officials at the University of Southern Mississippi’s School of Social Work will continue with efforts to enroll underprivileged children in health care now that the school has received a $910,000 grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.
The Hattiesburg American reports the Connecting Kids to Coverage grant will expand on the success of the school’s work with Hattiesburg on an initiative that enrolled more than 3,000 residents in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Project director Laura Richard, an assistant professor of social work, says the latest grant will cover the nine counties of State Public Health District 8. That district includes Covington, Forrest, Greene, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Lamar, Marion, Perry and Wayne counties.
Richard says there’s an estimated 16,000 individuals eligible for Medicare and Medicaid but not enrolled.
