Community Action of Northeast Indiana’s (CANI) mission is to help communities, families and individuals remove the causes and conditions of poverty. This mission and CANI’s Covering Kids and Families of Northeast Indiana program directly impacts Parkview’s mission of improving the health of our community. As a Community Health Improvement partner since 2008, Covering Kids and Families of NE Indiana has assisted in providing access to health insurance and healthcare to 9,346 children, adults and pregnant women through enrollment in the State funded health insurance programs, Hoosier Healthwise, Healthy Indiana Plan and Presumptive Eligibility.
Parkview’s partnership with CANI provides vital support to the Covering Kids and Families program so that families are able to avoid accumulating medical bills and high healthcare premiums. The DiMarzio family shared their first-hand experience with this program.
In December 2010, Joe DiMarzio had lost his job a few days after finding out his two-month old son, Carson, had a serious heart valve problem that required invasive surgery. While the DiMarzios previously had health insurance, they lost access due to Joe’s layoff. Joe spent the next week calling around for help and eventually called the CANI office. He was connected to Cathy Pollick in CANI’s Covering Kids and Families program. Through her help and CANI’s services, Joe was able to enroll Carson in the state-funded Hoosier Healthwise program. Joe recounted, “She told us exactly what we needed to do.” Cathy has also connected them other programs that provided support in their situation.
As a Covering Kids and Families enrollment center and community partner, Parkview supports CANI as they serve families like the DiMarzios and other community members. Access to healthcare increases the likelihood that individuals will be able to retain employment due to reduced time off of work, and ultimately allow them to seek healthcare for themselves and their children. Ensuring that families have adequate access to healthcare is vital in eliminating one of the many causes of poverty and provides the safety net that is necessary to truly impact the quality of life for many within our community.
For more information, visit Covering Kids & Families of Northeast Indiana online.