The Ministerial Health Fellowship has identified key legislative issues affecting our congregations and the communities we serve.
Partner with us to offer solutions.
Partner with us to offer solutions.
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Expand Medicaid/HUSKY and Medicare:
Low-income Black residents are most vulnerable to gaps in health insurance and inconsistent healthcare. To prevent emergency department overuse, and to promote preventive and primary care, we must restore Medicaid/Husky Parent eligibility to 201% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).
Medicare is an antipoverty program that helps the elderly and disabled and ended segregation in hospitals when it was enacted. Blacks are more likely to have chronic or serious health conditions and have significantly lower financial resources than Caucasians. Expand Medicare. |
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Address Health Disparities with Uniform Detailed Data:
Black American (African-Americans, Afro-Caribbean, West Indian) communities are rich and diverse in culture and history—especially diverse in their health and healthcare needs. Currently, CT does not collect subpopulation data for Black Americans, making it difficult to determine what disparities exist between subpopulations. To reduce disparities, the diverse Black community needs uniform procedures for state agencies, boards, and commissions to collect, report, and utilize demographic data. Gathering race, ethnic, and language (REL) demographic data is especially important in the context of COVID-19, since Black communities are disproportionately impacted by the novel coronavirus.
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Promote Community Health Workers (CHWs):
Historic distrust exists between African Americans and the healthcare system, due in part to the Tuskegee experiments. CHWs are people from the community, who understand community needs, and can offer culturally appropriate services to connect people to healthcare.
To create trust, CHWs work individually with community members to understand their specific healthcare needs. CHWs help with setting up healthcare appointments, patient advocacy during doctor’s visits, and follow-up care. Let’s ensure certification and reimbursement for CHWs. |
Publications
| COVID-19 Awareness.pptx |
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