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Lower-income families who access public benefits such as Medicaid, the State
Children’s Health Insurance Program, the Food Stamp Program, the Earned Income
Tax Credit and child care subsidies receive substantial assistance in meeting
the basic needs of their children. However, many lower-income families are not
aware of available public benefits. The Southern Institute on Children and
Families is respected for developing and implementing initiatives to increase
awareness of and improve access to public benefits for lower-income families
and children.
Our leadership is evident in cutting edge research
on improving access to public child health care coverage programs that led to significant reforms on the local, state and national levels. We also directed the nation’s single largest effort to enroll eligible children and adults in public health coverage [Covering Kids (1997-2002) and Covering Kids & Families
(2002-2007)]. Additional examples of our efforts to improve access to public
benefits appear below:
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Retention Initiative: Achieving Stability in Medicaid and SCHIP Coverage
(Current Initiative): The Retention Initiative is a two-year initiative funded
by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which began in April 2007. The Southern
Institute is leading teams from eight states in their efforts to increase the
rate of retention of eligible children and adults in Medicaid and SCHIP by
encouraging Medicaid and SCHIP programs to adopt changes in policies and
procedures designed to improve retention rates. (Learn
more)
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Southern Business Leadership Council (Current Initiative): The Southern
Business Leadership Council (SBLC) is a unique effort initiated by the Southern
Institute to engage business leaders in the development and promotion of public
and private sector strategies to address barriers to stable employment in the
lower-wage workforce and to achieve greater opportunities for child
development. The SBLC is co-chaired by former United States Secretary of
Education and former South Carolina Governor Richard W. Riley and Wachovia
Executive Vice President Anne Doss. SBLC members represent businesses,
corporate philanthropy and local, state and national business organizations. (Learn
more)
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Carolina Nutrition Alliance (2004-2007): The Carolina Nutrition Alliance was a
grant funded by the United States Department of Agriculture to increase Food
Stamp Program participation through the faith community while improving
eligibility processes in three South Carolina Department of Social Services
County Offices. The Southern Institute led the alliance, which included Agape
Ministries of Charleston and the South Carolina Department of Social Services.
(Learn more)
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Southern Regional Initiative on Child Care (2000-2006): The Southern Regional
Initiative on Child Care was a region-wide initiative involving 17 southern
states and the District of Columbia that resulted in development of two
regional action plans specifying action steps for states, the federal
government and businesses to significantly improve access to quality,
affordable child care and early education. The Southern Institute tracked both
action plans over multiple years to document actions taken by southern states.
This effort set the standard for a regional initiative that fosters
collaboration across states and achieves significant results. (Learn
more)
Please visit the Current Initiatives section of our Web site to learn more about our ongoing efforts to improve access to public benefits.
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