CHI staff must regularly inform school, health center, and community based organization staff throughout the community about CHI and the available application assistance services to ensure clients are appropriately referred to one of the on-site CHI representatives. The CHI representative is responsible for building rapport with the family, screening the client to determine which program they may qualify for, completing the appropriate application, and educating families on the insurance membership process. Outreach to site staff usually includes regularly scheduled staff presentations, clearly posted CHI signs and banners, and distribution of flyers with the dedicated toll free CHI phone line. The CHI representative must also follow-up to provide enrollment outcome information and promote retention strategies.
The education of health clinic staff and physicians has been a primary focus for CHI outreach efforts. The established trusting relationships with the families enable the clinic staff to educate and encourage the families to apply for health insurance. This “in-reach” effort at the health clinics has produced the highest volume of completed applications due an increased awareness of the benefits of obtaining comprehensive health coverage when accessing health related services.