In the News

Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corp. Awarded Grant
to Guide Low-Income New Yorkers Through Managed Care

July 23, 2000, Bronx NY– The Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corp. (WHEDCO) has been selected by the Community Service Society (CSS) to provide services in connection with a major effort to make managed care health plans more understandable and accessible to New Yorkers.

One of 25 community based organizations to receive grants totaling $1.6 million over a 13 month period under the Managed Care Consumer Assistance program (MCCAP) of the City of New York, WHEDCO staff will give direct help to Bronx residents, using resources and training provided to them by CSS. WHEDCO received $46,428 for their program.

MCCAP, which is run by CSS, is a newly-established effort by the City Council to provide New Yorkers with information and advice about managed care, including assistance in getting enrolled in - and obtaining services from - these health insurance plans. The legislation establishing MCCAP was shepherded though the Council by its Health Committee Chair, Victor L. Robles (Dem.- Lib, 34^th District, Brooklyn).

These services come at a critical time because New York is in the midst of a health care revolution, as the entire system is being substantially re-made along managed care lines. A recent change in the New York City Medicaid program, for example, requires all enrollees to join a managed care plan. And all uninsured youngsters who enroll in the State’s Children’s Health Insurance Plan must do the same. For these reasons, WHEDCO Family Support staff will focus on providing help to low-income, special needs, and limited English proficiency families, as they transition to managed care.

WHEDCO will provide three types of service under the MCCAP program:

1. Outreach: WHEDCO will publicize the MCCAP services through health fairs, literature distribution, posters, newspapers and radio ads, etc.
2. Consumer Education: WHEDCO Family Support staff will teach consumers about managed care through bilingual (English-Spanish) consumer education workshops and easy-to-read guidebooks.
3. Basic Consumer Assistance: WHEDCO Family Support staff will provide one-on-one counseling to consumers needing information or assistance with managed care. Consumer assistance will involve one-on-one provision of information, problem-solving and navigational help to consumers experiencing managed care problems.

In addition to offering walk-in hours Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9:30 AM-1:00 PM and Fridays from 1:00 PM-4:00 PM, WHEDCO will offer scheduled appointments at other times during the week and staff a toll-free hotline at 1-800-400-3917.

WHEDCO is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the economic advancement of low-income women and their families, through the integration of housing, workforce development, and social services. Our cornerstone project, the Urban Horizons Economic Development Center in the South Bronx is a vibrant community anchor that provides affordable housing to 132 low-income families, job training and placement services, childcare, afterschool programs, business development, and family support services.