DEPARTMENT: Health
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Dr. Thomas L. Schlenker
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT:
Agreement with The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for Certified Application Counselor Designated Organization
SUMMARY:
This ordinance authorizes an agreement with The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to establish the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District (Metro Health) as a Certified Application Counselor Designated Organization (CDO) in the Texas Health Insurance Marketplace (Marketplace) for a one year term, with the option to renew for four, consecutive one-year periods, and authorizes the Director of Public Health to execute all necessary documents. This designation will also allow Metro Health to certify staff members to act as Certified Application Counselors to improve access to quality health care and services for the Healthy Start Initiative by providing assistance to pregnant moms and families within the San Antonio community applying for health coverage through the Marketplace.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The Healthy Start Initiative aims to reduce disparities in infant mortality and adverse perinatal outcomes by: 1) improving women's health, 2) promoting quality services, 3) strengthening family resilience, 4) achieving collective impact, and 5) increasing accountability through quality improvement, performance monitoring, and evaluation. Healthy Start has a key role in strengthening families and creating the foundation for optimal infant and young child health and development, including early learning. The Healthy Start Initiative includes activities and components that will build a ladder of opportunity for all children and families. Healthy Start will be the first rung of that ladder beginning before, during, and after pregnancy and serving families for the first two years of a child's life.
Since 2008, the Healthy Start Initiative has reached over 40,000 individuals in the ...
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