Monday, April 17, 2006
First Five celebrates success for kids, families
After receiving a three-year, $1 million grant from Auction Napa Valley, the fledgling Children's Health Initiative (CHI) Napa County has initiated a program to enroll uninsured, eligible children in health insurance programs.
CHI Napa County was created to provide outreach, enrollment, education and support of eligible families in obtaining appropriate insurance programs and utilizing health services.
The organization also has hired an executive director, Mark Diel, and leased office space in Napa. Diel previously worked for the Yolo County Health Department, where he developed and managed the county's community nutrition and fitness programs. He has also worked for QueensCare, the second-largest health care provider in Los Angeles for the low-income and uninsured population.
"I'm very excited to join CHI Napa County's effort to make a difference for the uninsured children of this community," said Diel. "We are already off to a good start as evidenced by the success of the pilot program at McPherson, Pueblo Vista, and Carneros Elementary Schools in which we enrolled approximately 200 previously uninsured children in a health insurance plan."
"With our infrastructure nearly in place, our first pilot study under our belt, and Mark at the helm, we will be able to expand our efforts in reaching more uninsured families in Napa County," said CHI Napa County President Connie Battisti.
A recent study by The California Endowment estimated that approximately 3,800 to 4,000 Napa County children are uninsured. For more information about CHI Napa County, contact Diel at 227-0830 or markdiel@napachi.org.