Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, March 29, 1990                   TAG: 9003290783
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: EVENING  
SOURCE: CHARLES HITE MEDICAL WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

CHIP GIVES HEALTH CARE TO CHILDREN OF `WORKING POOR'

During the week, she relied on health department clinics or the Roanoke Free Clinic when her children became ill. But often those facilities were closed at the times she needed them most.

Getting health care for her 2-year-old daughter, however, is not a problem.

"When Amanda gets sick, she gets to see a doctor immediately," Yates says.

Amanda is one of 500 children enrolled in the Comprehensive Health Investment Project, or CHIP. The program provides medical care to children 7 and under who otherwise would not have a regular doctor. It was developed by private physicians, local health departments, area businesses and Total Action Against Poverty.

Yates was touting the benefits of CHIP today to two representatives from the Children's Defense Fund, a national private, non-profit organization that lobbies for the needs of poor, minority and disabled children.

The defense fund staffers were in town as part of a special project to help organizations in Southern states take advantage of changes in federal Medicaid laws that pay for health care for poor women and children.

"The CHIP program has been great for Amanda," Yates told Aileen Whitfill, a senior health specialist for the defense fund.

Not only does Amanda have a private doctor who will see her at any time, Yates said. Her daughter also has a nurse manager and outreach worker who help with needs the doctor can't provide.

Yates says the nurse manager has been to her house to assess Amanda's psychological and social development. CHIP also helps families with food and housing needs.

Getting care for her 15-year-old, 12-year-old and 9-year-old has been much more difficult, Yates told Whitfill. Not only is it difficult to get an appointment for them, but it's difficult to find the money for follow-up visits and medications.

When Amanda recently had difficulty with the antibiotic she had been given for an ear infection, there was no problem in getting another appointment and having the medication changed, Yates said.

She firmly believes that getting a child's medical problems treated early can help avoid more expensive problems - medical and otherwise - down the road. A child that suffers a hearing loss due to inadequate treatment, Yates said, probably will end up with low self-esteem.

CHIP, which has been in existence since June of 1988, has 23 private physicians and three private dentists who serve children from families that otherwise would be unlikely to have a regular doctor.

The program is aimed at the "working poor." To qualify, a family must have an income that is less than 133 percent of the federal poverty level. For a family of four, that amounts to $16,891 a year.

Children who qualify are given an in-depth assessment to determine not only their medical needs but also housing, food and social needs. Parents are given training in how to manage these needs and are then referred to social service agencies.

CHIP is staffed by five nurses, five outreach workers, one parent involvement specialist, three office workers, one van driver and a director. The nurses and outreach workers exchange information with physicians about childrens' needs.

CHIP hopes to expand its services to 1,000 children this fall.

Whitfill and another staff member from the Children's Defense Fund spent the day at CHIP's offices on Luck Avenue to find out more about its operations. They hope to advise CHIP officials on how they can take advantage of changes in federal laws that can help enhance CHIP's services.

For example, Whitfill said one change may allow children in Virginia to qualify for occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy services that in the past were not covered under Medicaid.