Ga. groups get $1.5 million in grants to help uninsured kids

By Shelia M. Poole

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

More than $1.5 million has been awarded to the West End Medical Centers and the Medical College of Georgia Research Institute to help uninsured children in the state.

The grant, awarded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, will be used  to find and enroll eligible children in Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP),  or PeachCare for Kids as it's known in Georgia. The funds are part of $40 million in grants recently given to 69 organizations across the nation.

Linda Abbott, associate vice president of human resources and operations for the West End Medical Centers,  a community health center, said the money will target Fulton and Cobb counties.

"The problem with uninsured children is that they grow up to be uninsured adults," Abbott said.  "This will eliminate a lot of uninsured people who use the emergency room as their primary care physician and never use preventive health care."

Abbott said Georgia has the 14th highest percentage of uninsured children in the nation.

More than $571,000 will go to the West End Centers and nearly $987,000 will go to the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta.

At MCG, Dr. Sandra Mobley, a nurse researcher , and her team will work through the school systems in the area and employers to identify uninsured children and enroll them in the state benefit plan or Medicaid.