Back-to-School Booster #8

 

 

Work with the Media to Promote Enrollment of Eligible Children and Teens

Television, radio, newspapers, the Internet – families stay connected with the news from a variety of sources. Working with the media can help you broaden your reach this Back-to-School season as you educate your community about free and low-cost health insurance and how to get eligible children and teens enrolled.

Here are a few ways to work with the media to enhance your Back-to-School efforts:

1. Become the “Go-To” Person for the Media in Your Community: Build relationships with local reporters from newspapers, TV and radio stations, blogs and other media. Demonstrate that you are a trusted source of accurate information and that they can rely on you to help them craft engaging stories. Show that you respect their deadlines. Reach out to reporters that regularly write about health issues, family finances, school issues – any areas that provide an opening for you to talk about the importance of health insurance and the availability of Medicaid and CHIP for eligible children. And don’t forget about Spanish-language and other ethnic media in your area. Help reporters connect with community leaders, health professionals, advocates and others that are credible spokespersons. And be a liaison to connect reporters with families who have been able to enroll their children in Medicaid or CHIP and can attest to the benefits and peace of mind coverage can bring. Booster in Action: This video shows how Health Care for All, a Massachusetts organization, built relationships with a variety of media outlets and ramped up children’s health coverage awareness and participation in a one-day enrollment phone-a-thon.
2. Generate Interest in Children’s Health Coverage: As families are thinking about getting their children and teens ready for school, they are faced with finding ways to get them the immunizations, eye exams, and sports physicals they need to fully participate. Back-to-School season is a great time to pitch stories to local media about the importance of health insurance. Tie your pitch to a Back-to-School enrollment event or a local school district’s requirement that children get health exams in order to participate in school sports. Contact local reporters and share stories about what it has meant for a student to get enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP and how local outreach organizations are helping families sign up. Booster in Action: Philadelphia’s Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY) launched an initiative with the Philadelphia Eagles’ Youth Partnership to connect more children and teens with health insurance when they visit the Eagle Eye Mobile to get vision care. Participation from newsmakers, like the school superintendent, generated news coverage in the Philadelphia Tribune and the Philly Record.
3. Provide Editorial Content to Local Media Outlets: Write a letter to the editor or an opinion article on why health insurance for children and teens can help them start the school year strong. If possible, include local statistics on the numbers of kids who are eligible but are not yet enrolled. Send newsletter articles to local community papers and blogs. Contact your local TV and radio stations and ask them to run the Connecting Kids to Coverage public service announcements and promote your Back-to-School events. Booster in Action: Visit our Back-to-School web page to download “radio readers” and the Campaign’s TV and radio public service announcements in English and Spanish. You’ll also find tips on how to use the PSAs for outreach. Watch our recent webinar on media outreach for more great ideas.

The Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign’s weekly Back-to-School boosters offer quick outreach and enrollment tips throughout the summer. Did you miss a Booster from a previous week? Visit the Booster Catalogue to read all of the weekly Boosters released this summer. If a friend or colleague forwarded this email to you, you can sign up to receive the weekly tips and other news from the Campaign. You can also follow the Campaign on Twitter and Facebook.