James F. Brown, who puts together Health Services for the Actors Fund of America, flew in from New York to share all of the goodies he's managed to put together in one, multi-purpose website. Funded by grants supporting artists health service needs, the website also serves any self-employed person seeking health insurance benefits. There is even good info for people who have health insurance, but don't seem to be covered for what they need.
The Health Insurance/Resources for Health Care (AHIRC) database, can be accessed at: http://ahirc.org/. It focuses on resources for the self-employed, lower income workers, and the under- and un-insured. For Washingtonians there are two main points of access located on the homepage. Click on the Map, on Washington State, for the usual links and resources. And, click on Washington State in the lower right hand corner of the homepage under Regional Healthcare Guides, to link to a special information project for 2008-2009.
Regional Guide for Washington
This special aggregation of healthcare resources for Washington State, includes links to: kinds of health insurance, COBRA, employment related options, private insurance, government-subsized programs, programs for special health conditions, obtaining medications, dental coverage, mental health options, Community Health Centers, and 24-hour pharmacies, and much more.
Choose Washington on the Map
Includes full menu of options for:
* Getting Health Insurance (including info for Children, Veterans, Uninsurables, Long-Term Care, Legal Assistance, etc.),
* Affording Health Care (costs, programs, assistance opportunities, etc.),
* Finding Health Care (organizations, programs, etc.),
* Changing Health Care
I invite you to spend some time working around the website, to know what's there -- lots of good resources.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
WLA Redux - Advocacy By All session
I'm pretty sure I was the lone SCLD staff member at this WLA session so I thought I'd give you the skinny.
After a failed passing of a levy, Kitsap Regional Library had to figure out what to do next. They decided that the levy failed because they had not effectively communicated to the community the value of the library. In response, they created a staff-led committee with diverse members from many branches and departments in the system called C.A.F.E. (Collaborative Affiliates Fostering Education). The purpose of C.A.F.E. was to "celebrate the library system" through outreach to the community, informing them what the library has to offer.
The presenters discussed how C.A.F.E. was formed, the challenges they had to face, and their current and future projects. Probably the most crucial aspect in the formation of this group was the openness of the administration in tasking this project and allowing the committee to run with it. Staff had strong buy-in and dedication. Throughout their brainstorming sessions, they kept track of all the ideas presented and made them available. They created a Did You Know? campaign highlighting the library's services, began selling bags based on customer comments, and provided a space on their website for patrons to tell their own library stories.
It remains to be seen if their next levy will pass, but they are hopeful and much better positioned now than they were. Reaching out to community partners, creating a dialogue with their customers, and arousing a sense of pride and accomplishment in staff should go a long way in positioning themselves as a vital resource.
After a failed passing of a levy, Kitsap Regional Library had to figure out what to do next. They decided that the levy failed because they had not effectively communicated to the community the value of the library. In response, they created a staff-led committee with diverse members from many branches and departments in the system called C.A.F.E. (Collaborative Affiliates Fostering Education). The purpose of C.A.F.E. was to "celebrate the library system" through outreach to the community, informing them what the library has to offer.
The presenters discussed how C.A.F.E. was formed, the challenges they had to face, and their current and future projects. Probably the most crucial aspect in the formation of this group was the openness of the administration in tasking this project and allowing the committee to run with it. Staff had strong buy-in and dedication. Throughout their brainstorming sessions, they kept track of all the ideas presented and made them available. They created a Did You Know? campaign highlighting the library's services, began selling bags based on customer comments, and provided a space on their website for patrons to tell their own library stories.
It remains to be seen if their next levy will pass, but they are hopeful and much better positioned now than they were. Reaching out to community partners, creating a dialogue with their customers, and arousing a sense of pride and accomplishment in staff should go a long way in positioning themselves as a vital resource.
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