COVERING KIDS COALITION
Covering Kids and Families is a national initiative of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation offering $55 million in grants to increase the number of eligible children and adults who are benefiting from federal and state health care coverage programs. Working through broad statewide and local coalitions, this four-year initiative will build on the work and experience of the Foundation's current Covering Kids initiative. The Covering Kids Foundations (CKF) will facilitate local and statewide efforts by complementing new and ongoing federal, state, private, and voluntary sector activities designed to increase health coverage. CKF also works to involve private and voluntary sector organizations (e.g., churches, businesses, health plans, providers, foundations) in partnership with traditional child advocacy organizations and state officials in these efforts. The SNAP-Ed Support Network is presently a collaborating partner with The Covering Kids Foundation. The Network will be involved in an evaluation process to select an electronic system that will insure ease of submitting applications along with an eligibility determination process. In turn Covering Kids was recently invited to join the Network Coalition to strengthen and broaden statewide efforts towards the limited resource population who have difficulty affording health benefits. Both coalitions have future plans to work together to sustain and expand each other's interest. Moreover, coalitions such as the SNAP-Ed Support Network can assist in coordinating outreach efforts against the target population.
Firoozeh M. Vali, Ph.D., Project Director
Health Research and Educational Trust of NJ
760 Alexander Road
PO Box 1 Princeton, NJ 08543-0001
(609) 275-4228
(609) 275-4145 fax