Thrive Allen County recently received a major award from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to help underserved populations find affordable health insurance coverage with the assistance of Navigators. The grant is expected to provide $2.9 million over a three-year period.

Navigators are federally trained and certified individuals who help consumers find and apply for Marketplace health insurance. According to CMS, “Since 2013, Navigators have helped Americans understand their health insurance options and facilitated enrollment in health insurance through the Federally-facilitated Marketplace. As trusted community partners, their mission focuses on assisting the uninsured and other underserved communities. Navigators serve an important role in connecting communities that historically have experienced lower access to health coverage and greater disparities in health outcomes to health coverage.”

Since 2013, Thrive has offered enrollment assistance services to Allen County residents for the Marketplace and other health and safety net services in its Thrive CARES program. Thrive’s Care Coordinators are crucial fixtures in the community health ecosystem, providing a personal connection to those in need. They were instrumental in lowering Allen County’s uninsured rate from 21% in 2013 to under 9% in 2018.

Thrive Allen County has contracted with ten agencies across Kansas to bring Navigator services to underserved communities throughout the state. Barber County United Coalition, Dickinson County Quality of Life Coalition, El Centro, Inc., Genesis Family Health Center, Health and Wellness Coalition of Wichita, Impact Ulysses, LiveWell Northwest Kansas, Mitchell County Regional Medical Foundation/North Central Kansas Health Collaborative, Northeast Kansas Community Action Partnership, and Southeast Kansas Community Action Program will work across 42 Kansas counties, focusing on rural and diverse populations.

Says Thrive President and CEO Lisse Regehr, “I am so excited Thrive was chosen as one of the grantees to further this very important work. This is a grant after my own heart; I joined Thrive in 2014 as a Navigator and saw firsthand the life changing effects it has on individuals, families and communities. The impact Navigators have on healthcare access cannot be understated, and we are honored to help community organizations implement what we have learned across the state.”