Helping the uninsured

           The Commission on the Public's Health System (CPHS) has received two foundation grants - from the Altman Foundation and The New York Community Trust to develop a How to Help the Uninsured project targeted at community-based organizations in high-need neighborhoods. The priority communities for this project are: the Bronx, Northern Manhattan and the Lower East Side, and Caribbean neighborhoods.

            The training will be based on a Manual developed by the New York Lawyers for the Public Interest with input from CPHS.  All participants will be given copies of the manual.

During this project, CPHS will:

                • Select five to seven neighborhoods with high numbers of uninsured residents;

                • Identify and provide small incentive grants to lead organizations in these communities that will serve as the liaison to the Commission, host training sessions, identify up to nine other local community-based organizations, and coordinate ongoing advocacy efforts in that neighborhood;

                • Provide multiple training session tailored to community needs and resources for agencies in neighborhood clusters with specific information about the health care safety net in that community;

                • Serve as an ongoing resource for the community-based organizations and respond to follow-up questions and requests for targeted workshops; and

                • Complete an analysis of strategies used in the first year of the project, including the selection of agencies and types of technical assistance offered following training.