ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Amerigroup’s Georgia health plan announced plans to test a transitional program designed to improve outcomes for young adults ages 17 to 20, who are transitioning out of foster care and who will receive health care coverage until the age of 26 for the first time under the Affordable Care Act. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Innovation Center recently named its prospective Health Care Innovation awardees. As a recipient of this award, Amerigroup will use the $5.8 million grant to implement its Coaching and Comprehensive Health Supports (COACHES) program that will test innovative interventions by establishing a one-to-one coaching relationship with these young adults. Grant award agreements will be finalized later this summer.
Through its COACHES program, Amerigroup will work with Families First, a non-profit family service agency in Georgia. The grant will enable Amerigroup and Families First to establish one-on-one coaches, and a support team, who will partner with transitional young adults throughout the three year grant period to improve healthy behaviors.
“Amerigroup currently provides Medicaid services to approximately 24,000 children in the Georgia Families 360° program throughout Georgia. Approximately 9,000 of these members are in foster care. Through this grant, we will be able to further improve our current efforts and provide a one-stop resource, in which all of the health and social services needed by these young adults are coordinated and connected to meet their needs,” said Fran Gary, Amerigroup Georgia president.
The coaches and support team will coordinate with Amerigroup’s Care Coordinators, the Case Manager in the child welfare system provided through Georgia's Division of Family and Children Services, Department of Community Health and other community partners such as Barton Child Law and Policy Clinic, Bethany Christian Services, Multi-Agency Alliance for Children (MAAC), Georgia Appleseed Center of Law and Justice, CHRIS Kids, and Lutheran Services of Georgia to form the comprehensive network of health and social supports to which the participants will be connected.
"At Families First we have the incredible honor and responsibility to provide programs and services that help children and families in our community become empowered while learning how to achieve and maintain self-sufficient lifestyles. We look forward to partnering with Amerigroup on the COACHES program and are excited about the ability to increase our impact in the lives of foster care youth, as well as being a part of greater positive outcomes across the metro-Atlanta area," said Kim E. Anderson, Families First CEO.
The goal of this program is to improve care and outcomes for these young members by serving their broader, holistic needs. The establishment of the coaches and support team, combined with targeted payment incentives, will lead to increased access to primary and preventive care, reduced emergency department and hospital utilization, and improvements in other social services outcomes such as employment and educational attainment.
"The Division of Family and Children Services is excited about a new partnership with Amerigroup Georgia and Families First that will encourage healthy behaviors for Georgia’s foster youth. By encouraging healthy behavior and ensuring children receive the right medical care, we better equip our youth to be self-sufficient and successful members of their communities,” said Bobby Cagle, interim director of the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services.
“This focus on young adults aging out of foster care will further address their health care needs and provide them with the support necessary to obtain the best health outcomes,” said Georgia Department of Community Health Commissioner Clyde L. Reese III, Esq. “We congratulate Amerigroup for pursuing and securing this grant to further improve the health outcomes of young Georgians.”
About Amerigroup Georgia
Amerigroup Georgia helps improve health care access and quality for more than 292,000 low-income Georgians by developing innovative care management programs and services. Our members are assured care that is not only accessible, but also accountable, comprehensive, integrated and patient-centered. We provide ongoing community relations and outreach to encourage members to become active participants in their health care. Through our health education program, we empower members to choose and sustain a healthy lifestyle.
