As the nation responds to Cover the Uninsured Week and the challenge of providing health insurance coverage to millions of uninsured individuals, San Diego is pioneering the use of Ricochet® wireless technology to improve and streamline outreach and enrollment efforts to reach nearly 400,000 uninsured county residents.
San Diego was the first county in the nation to deploy Health-e-App, a fully automated, Web-based application for enrolling children in public health insurance programs. Developed by the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) in partnership with the State of California, Health-e-App improves the efficiency of and consumer satisfaction with the application process and reduces the time it takes to enroll eligible children in Healthy Families and Medi-Cal. Health-e-App is in use throughout California and is accessible from any Web-enabled device.
In recognition of Cover the Uninsured Week, wireless Internet provider Ricochet Networks, Inc. is donating wireless modems and service to CHCF who will in turn give the technology to organizations who are assisting families to enroll their children. Wireless technology will allow application assistants to access the Internet at broadband speeds anywhere in the Ricochet network coverage area.
San Diego County officials applaud this partnership. According to Dr. Rodger Lum, director of the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency, "We will now be able to reach and enroll eligible families wherever they are most easily reached -- in their homes, at shopping malls and Little League games, and at community events like those underway this week."
Through its affiliation with CHCF, Ricochet will make a similar donation of modems and service to application assistants as it expands its network throughout California. "Public/private partnerships have been a cornerstone of Health-e-App's development and implementation," said Claudia Page, the CHCF program officer who manages the Health-e-App project. "Adding wireless connectivity expands Health-e-App's capacity to leverage the latest technology to help enroll eligible children," added Page.
According to Emilie Kelly, Ricochet Networks vice president of marketing and corporate communications, "We are pleased to support the outreach efforts of the health care community. We are committed to providing high-speed mobile access to health care workers, paramedics, and social workers to connect them to the valuable Internet resources they need to better serve people."
The California HealthCare Foundation and Ricochet Networks will present donations of computers and wireless modems to application assistants at a health fair on Wednesday, March 12, 2003, at La Maestra Family Clinic, 4185 Fairmount Avenue, San Diego, CA 92105. A formal presentation including speakers, demonstrations of the technology and onsite enrollment, and community open house will take place from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM. For more information, contact La Maestra Family Clinic at 619-584-1612.
About the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency
The County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency's mission is to make people's lives safer, healthier, and self-sufficient by managing essential services. For more information, visit www.sdcounty.ca.gov/hhsa.
About Ricochet Networks, Inc.
Ricochet Networks, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Aerie Networks, Inc., a privately held broadband services company based in Denver, Colorado and backed by VantagePoint Venture Partners.