1. Cover AZ Coalition Call
Partnering with
Faith-based and Community Organizations:
Health Literacy and Open Enrollment
Heidi Christensen
Associate Director for Community Engagement
HHS Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnership
August, 17, 2016

2. Connections:
A Peer-Learning Webinar Series on
Connecting Consumers to Coverage and Care
Co-hosted by Enroll America and the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services
Making Connections that Stick:
Best Practices that Turn Outreach into Relationships
Staying in Touch:
The Art of Connecting Consumers to Year Round Access
Connecting the System:
Technology for Consumer Engagement
Health as a Second Language:
Connecting Health Insurance Literacy to Outreach & Coverage to Care Efforts
PowerMapping:
Expanding Capacity & Building Partnerships to
Connect with Consumers All Year Long
Connections: A peer-learning webinar series on Connecting Consumers to Coverage and to Care . The series covered a broad range of best practices– with presenters sharing as peers to peers, including:
how social media strategies support the ground game of in-person assistance
how navigator/assister orgs embed post-enrollment strategies in enrollment activity (collect info, get consent to contact…)
smart ways to map for potential partners and engage them
You can listen and view the series by going to Enroll America’s

3. Making Connections to Wellness through Health Literacy & Open Enrollment  
Faith and community-based organizations are “place-based’ in communities providing access to hard to reach consumers.
These groups can support the health and wellbeing of their communities by:
Joining a local ACA coalition to collaborate with community partners
Referring community members to in-person assistance
Opening their doors to health care educators and in-person assisters
Becoming a Certified Application Counselor Organization (CAC)

4. Join a Local ACA Coalition
Our first request is that local affiliates, congregations or branches of our national partners join local ACA Coalitions and collaborate with navigator organizations, public health offices, HHS regional leadership and the many other community partners to connect with existing strategies– and bring their assets of space, volunteers, or promotional capacity to what is already happening in the community to enroll and educate consumers.
(Coalitions can include: Chambers of Commerce, Insurance agents brokers, Grassroots organizations like Enroll America, Organizing for Action, Planned Parenthood
 Labor unions,  Faith leaders  interfaith coalitions,  Community health centers
 Hospital healthcare organizations, such as doctors, nurses, or social workers
Community Colleges, Universities, Tech colleges, Fraternities,  sororities
 Public school district,  HHS Regional Office)
Join a Local ACA Coalition

5. The best way to connect with local ACA Coalitions is to reach out to the HHS Regional offices.
To connect with an ACA coalition contact the HHS Regional offices listed at

6. Referring to in-person assistance
Faith and community organizations can find out who the assister group is closest to them --either through the coalition or by going to Find Local Help or the Enroll America Connector or United Way and create a process for referring people to in-person assistance.
They may be able to place signage or Commit Cards at front desks and common areas or during membership or community events.
Or they can work with assisters to prepare staff and volunteers at those front desks or during membership activity to-- “Ask the Question”- “Do you and your family have health insurance? [We] have partnered with people who can help meet your health insurance needs.”
We are also asking that communities save room in their newsletter, bulletin or on their webpage to “ask the question” and include referral information, schedules, and locations to make appointments.
Referring to in-person assistance
Organizations can help by referring community members to in-person assisters in-house, at upcoming events, or the standing office locations of assisters and navigators.

7. Opening Doors To Health Educators And Assisters
The third request is for community, place-based organizations, to open their doors to the navigator/assister and health educators– all year long.
Consider community events or services, such as ESL, mentoring, or job training, that may be enhanced by access to a health insurance educator, enrollment assister, health or financial literacy programs.
Make room for “tabling” at special community events or when an enrollment deadline is fast approaching. Again with capacity in mind of the nav/assister community–
Opening your Doors
Make your space available to services that meet the needs of newcomer, immigrant, and non-English speaking members of the community and neighborhoods including health coverage educators and assisters as well as Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs .
Opening Doors To Health Educators And Assisters
Make space available to services that meet the needs of newcomer, immigrant, and non-English speaking members of the community and neighborhoods, including health coverage educators and assisters and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs.

8. Becoming a Certified Application Counselor (CAC) Organization
We are encouraging organizations that may meet the criteria and have the capacity to do so, apply to become CAC’s.
Also the request to the coalitions members that are CAC organization or partnering with CAC designated organizations think of faith communities as a place to seek volunteers to take the training and work as assisters under your CAC.
Becoming a Certified Application Counselor (CAC) Organization
Certified Application Counselor (CAC) organization can recruit volunteer assisters from faith and community organizations.

9.
We are updating the faith and Community toolkit which will be on the HHS Partnership Center website

10. Faith Weeks of Action Dates Theme November 7th- 14th
Thankful for Coverage
December 19th -24th
The Gift of Health
January 16th -29th
MLK week of Service
Faith weeks of action can be a great time to ask communities to make room for conversations around health issues of concern to the community and wrap around information about coverage benefits and need for coverage.

11. HHS Partnership Center Website and Newsletter
Make sure to visit our website– for the toolkits and resources. Also please sign up for our newsletter– we announce upcoming webinars, resources, agency news new grants and announcements that will be of interest to our constituency.