Oregon’s Outreach Strategies Reaching Communities of Color

Oliver J. Vera, MBA

Community Partner and Outreach Program Manager

Oregon Health Authority

January 19, 2015

We will cover

• The Program• Materials in Spanish• Promotion and Marketing• Immigration Law – Public Charge and Eligibility Based

on Citizenship Status• The System Does Not Meet the Need

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The Program

Our Mission:

“Train and empower diverse Community Partners to help Oregonians of all backgrounds to access public and private

health coverage”

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Our Team

Oregon Health Authority• 8 Regional Outreach Coordinators, 1 Provider Campaign

Coordinator, 1 Community Engagement Coordinator

Assistors and Network of Community Partners• Over 230 contracted partner organizations statewide

– Network of over 730 certified Application Assistors

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Understanding our Community Partners

Organizations include:• Health care providers (clinics, hospitals, medical groups)• Community-based nonprofit programs• Public health departments• School districts & educational programs• County jails• Statewide organizations

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Looking further for Partners

• Mexican and Guatemalan Consulates– Consulado Movil, Bi-National Health Week, Secretaria de Salud

de Mexico(Secretariat of Health of Mexico)

• Minority Business Associations– Somali American Council of Oregon

• Small Businesses– Panaderias, tienditas, fabric stores

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Regional Collaborative Meetings

• What:

• County-level meetings

• Regional Outreach Coordinators share system and policy updates, foster networking and collaboration and troubleshoot issues

• When: Monthly

• Where: Each of Oregon’s 36 counties (26 locations)

• Who: Community Partners, Agents, DHS, and other stakeholders

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Population-Specific Collaboratives

Requested by partners

Networking opportunity

Ability to discuss what is working and explore challenges– Latino Collaborative (webinar, statewide)– Inmate Transition Collaborative (webinar; statewide)– LGBTQ Collaborative (webinar; statewide)– Tribal Collaborative (webinar, statewide)

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• Identify official leaders, community leaders, and unofficial leaders

• Never assume anything• Get involved - Become part of the community• Start and guide the conversation• If you don’t know, ask! It will prevent misunderstandings

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Understanding Our Communities

Understanding Our Communities

• Always follow up• Be open, empathetic, respectful, mindful, sincere,

genuine, flexible, etc.• Share your own culture or experience• Allow time for change to take place• Listen, listen, and listen

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Promotion and Marketing – Take Risks

• Soccer Tournament– Over 10,000 in attendance over a 3 day period. 6,500 unique

contacts

• Create value and sell it– Earned media – Media Firm

• Treat it like a business– Make it personal

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Latino Campaign

• Market Saturation • Lara Media Services

– Latino owned – Founded by Victoria Lara in 2000. Register as a double minority owner and disadvantage business

– The most prestigious, awarded, and recognized Latino Media Firm in the Northwest

• Access to television, radio, newspapers, and social media; all based on our relationship and trust

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Latino Campaign - Television

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• Univision (several occasions throughout the year)• Reach out to 400,000 households

• Local community TV station• Reach out to ~10,000 households

Latino Campaign - Radio

• Radio Spots - several interviews or informational segments yearly– La Gran D 610 AM (Southern Oregon)– La Campeona 880 AM– La Pantera 940 AM– La Bronca 1240 AM (Central Oregon)– La Gran D 1520 AM– El Rey 93.1 FM– La Zeta 94.3– Radio Movimiento 95.9 FM (Targets farmworkers)

Audience 30,000-120,000

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Creating Materials• Translate all materials - including websites

– Linguistically and culturally appropriate – not Google translate etc.

• No need to translate– Ensure materials are culturally appropriate– Meet specific population’s needs

• Produce relevant materials to address needs/concerns• Establish a translating and/or reviewing process

– Involve community partners, stakeholders, and clients in reviewing process and listen to their feedback. It builds trust.

– It is highly recommended for reviewers to be fluent or native speakers

• Maximize resources and your opportunity– Produce bilingual materials (English – any other language)

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Latino Campaign

African American Campaign

 

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Tribal Campaign

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Asian American Campaign

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LGBTQ

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Immigration Law – Public Charge

• Public Charge

…IS A TERM USED by U.S. immigration officials to refer to a person who is considered primarily dependent on the government for subsistence, as demonstrated by either receipt of public cash assistance for income maintenance or institutionalization for long-term care at government expense. Where this consideration applies, an immigrant who is found to be "likely . . . to become a public charge" may be denied admission to the U.S. or lawful permanent resident status.

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Immigration Law – Eligibility based on citizenship status

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Immigration Law – Eligibility based on citizenship status

Immigration Law – Eligibility based on citizenship status

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The System Does Not Meet the Community Need

• All Oregonians can apply and access for Health Care– Not true. Not all Oregonians can apply and access Health Care

• No Google translator or similar tools

• Challenges with HealthCare.gov and CuidadodeSalud.gov – I.D. Proofing (limited or not credit history)– Mixed status families– Unaccompanied Youth– New immigrants

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The System Does Not Meet the Community Need

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• Directed assistors and applicants to OregonHealthCare.gov– To complete the

fillable PDF – Paper application

The Impact of Our Program

• Our community partners were successful in reaching out to hard to reach populations

• Our program was exceptionally successful in reaching out to the Latino community and other minorities

• Brought the Oregon uninsured rate down to 5%• Community organizations built trust in the community • Served the often overlooked populations

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The Bottom Line

“We are committed to our Community Partners and clients. Our outreach strategies build coalitions, establish trust, and empower communities. As a result we develop a stronger and healthier Oregon.”

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Contact Information

Oliver J. Vera, MBA

Manager Community Partner

and Outreach Program

Office of Client and Community Services

Medical Assistance Programs

Oregon Health Authority

oliver.vera@state.or.us

503.269.0526

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