United States President Barack Obama recently announced more than 6 million Americans have become insured for 2016 through healthcare.gov, and about 2.4 million are new customers. Many people are turning to the Internet to sign up for health assistance, but some individuals may not have Internet access or prefer in-person engagement.
HealthNet Inc. — a health care provider dedicated to improving lives of individuals and families through wellness and support services, regardless of ability to pay — has been consistently busy this year, especially with the Affordable Care Act open enrollment period, which has steadily increased their numbers across the board.
Jenee Green, outreach and enrollment manager at HealthNet in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood, one of the 13 HealthNet locations, said some of the best services the network provides are inreach and outreach services.
“We have financial counselors in every center; they can help people sign up for health insurance,” said Green, who manages a team of 10 navigators, a part of the outreach team at the center’s location. “The outreach team goes out and we are mobile. We can meet people where they are whether that be home, work or McDonald’s, to help them sign up for health care.”
In 2014, HealthNet served more than 59,000 individuals. Services available include behavioral health, family health, family practice, foreign language interpretation, family planning, social services, immunizations, dental and vision care, obstetrics and gynecology services, pediatrics and more.
Joyce Neal, health center manager, said it’s very important for individuals to sign up for health care so they can have access to these services. In the Martindale-Brightwood area, Neal has noticed a wide spectrum of health issues in the community through the patients seen at the center — anything from diabetes to hypertension is treated at the location. Neal believes some of the community’s health issues may be tied to the community’s location in a food desert. Much of the area offers fast food as meal options, but one of the most popular places for grocery shopping, Double 8 Foods, closed all of its locations earlier this year.
Neal said the uptick in business has changed some processes at HealthNet.
“We started getting an influx of calls because (health coverage) afforded them to come to the doctor’s office instead of dealing with things at home without seeking care,” she mentioned. “Because of the influx, we began to pay more attention to our scheduling process. Our patients were scheduled farther out, because we couldn’t handle the influx we were getting.”
Currently the center is looking to hire more staff to handle the high demand of patients.
According to National Association of Community Health Centers, centers similar to HealthNet serve more than 22 million people nationally, and that number is quickly growing. Nearly all patients are low income and tend to be members of racial and ethnic minority groups.
“When you’re not used to having insurance, there is a lot to think through. You’re looking at all of this information and paperwork,” said Kay Johnson, chief development and communications officer. “It’s helpful to have that service in their community.”
To help the community become more aware of HealthNet’s services, the Martindale-Brightwood center continues to do outreach in local schools, hold community garage sales, participate in health fairs and collaborate with nonprofits.
With this being the 20th anniversary of the Martindale-Brightwood location, the goal is to focus on not just physical health but taking a more holistic approach.
“Patients may come to us for a cough or a cold, but there may be other things going on in their lives, which is why we have a social worker for people dealing with landlord or utility issues,” said Neal. “We try to look at the whole picture.”
For more information on HealthNet, visit Indyhealthnet.org.
