CareSouth Carolina awarded an Outreach and Enrollment Grant worth more than $600,000

CareSouth Carolina recently received a grant for $664,179 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources, according to Marek Calhoun, Community Services Director for CareSouth Carolina. Calhoun said the money will be used over a three-year periodto fund outreach and enrollment strategies aimed at educating families about the availability of Medicaid and Children’s Health InsuranceProgram (CHIP) and directly assists families with the application and renewal process.

“This was a very competitive grant,” said Calhoun, adding that CareSouth Carolina was the only recipient in the state. “In all, 36 organizations in 20 states were awarded this funding, but we were the only one in South Carolina,” he said.

Since grant funding initiatives began in 2009, more than 330 awards to eligible entities have been issued for approximately $265 million to community-based organizations, states, and local governments. Connecting Kids to Coverage (CKC) outreach grants share the common goal of reducing the number of children who are eligible for Medicaid and CHIP but not enrolled.  

“At CareSouth Carolina we’re in a position to enroll individuals in Medicaid and CHIP,” said Calhoun. “One of the things we do is reach out to those in our community who may not even realize these programs are available to them. I think it’s important for not only individuals as adults to have access to quality healthcare whether or not they are insured, but it’s even more important for our children to have access to health insurance so they can have a long and healthy life.”