In Chester County, one in eight individuals go to bed hungry and nearly one in ten adults have no insurance. Children who are living without essentials like nutritious food or health care face a tough childhood. It is not easy for them to learn and grow when they may be hungry or suffering from an unaddressed medical need. Research shows that children who lack the essentials during their early years may face long-term effects, including the need for special education – a costly expense that falls to taxpayers.
MCHC has helped thousands of Chester County families gain access to healthcare since 1995 through our Health Insurance Enrollment Initiative. We have since expanded enrollment efforts to include SNAP (food stamps) to meet the needs of the growing number of families experiencing hunger. Bilingual Family Benefits staff enrolls upwards of 2,600 eligible families every year into health insurance and food benefits programs to ensure that they have what they need to stay healthy. Since 2010, MCHC has been awarded over $5 million dollars in CMS outreach and enrollment grant funding and secured health insurance benefits for 21,000 individuals across Chester, Montgomery, Delaware, and Philadelphia counties.
No family should have to sacrifice food on the table or ability to bring their child to a doctor. The Family Benefits Program helps families provide the basics – food and health coverage – in order to become healthier and stronger, but we cannot do it alone. By joining us, you can help make sure that families in Chester County have the resources they need to do the world’s most important job: raise a healthy family.
The Family Benefits Program offers:
- Expertise in benefit eligibility determination
- Dedicated follow-up to ensure coverage is approved and maintained
- Training to social service agencies
- Enrollment assistance in 15 locations around Chester County and parts of Montgomery County (Pottstown and Norristown)