The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”)recently granted New Haven, Connecticut an award of $9.7 million to be used to transform the healthcare system in New Haven. It is estimated that over 2,250 New Haven-area residents will benefit from this program that will focus on the delivery of services to families and children with behavioral and physical health issues. The initiative is called the WrapAround New Haven program and will facilitate cooperation between community-based health care providers and the local New Haven community in order to specifically aid the region’s Medicaid beneficiaries that have the highest costs and needs.
The CMS Health Care Innovations Award Program
The CMS Innovation Center provides innovative health care models in order to facilitate the adoption of high quality health care services. The CMS Health Care Innovations Award Program included stiff competition that pitted Connecticut against other deserving states in need of Medicaid and Medicare reform. The mental health provider, Clifford Beers Clinic, was chosen to oversee the use of the $9.7 million grant. Though the Clifford Beers Clinic won the award, it could not have done so without the support of the state of Connecticut. In fact, the Connecticut Department of Social Services has pledged to work closely with the clinic in order to assist with the three-year long Medicaid reforms.
The WrapAround New Haven Initiative
The WrapAround New Haven Initiative has three basic goals: the enhancement of health care provision through the use of coordinated services; the improvement of healthcare outcomes for citizens of New Haven and the surrounding area; and the ultimate reduction of health expenditures and costs. These goals are directly aligned with Connecticut’s more general Medicaid reform goals, and will also support the new State Innovation Model (SIM), which focuses on secondary factors such as housing and food security and their influence on a person’s effective access to healthcare. In order to achieve these lofty ambitions, multi-disciplinary groups will:
- Create family-focused health care models and initiatives;
- Provide social support and wellness services at easily accessible community locations;
- Attract eligible enrollers in New Haven through engagement and recruitment initiatives at local community sites; and
- Assess and screen enrolled families’ psychosocial, physical, and behavioral weaknesses and strengths.
The multi-disciplinary groups who will assist with the initiative will be made up of members from the following healthcare and social services organizations:
- Fair Haven Community Health Center;
- Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital;
- The City of New Haven Department of Health;
- CT Department of Social Services;
- CT Department of Children and Families;
- CT Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services;
- New Haven Public Schools;
- Yale University School of Medicine;
- National Child Traumatic Stress Network; and
- Gateway Community College.
Need legal assistance with Medicaid services? Contact the Medicaid law attorneys at Greenberg & Krieger LLP in Fairfield County, Connecticut for professional legal assistance.