Coordinated Care Improves Outcomes for Children and Youth in Foster Care across Washington
Date: 05/07/24
As is the only insurance plan covering the 21,000+ children and youth in foster care in Washington, Coordinated Care is proud of their Apple Health Core Connections program, designed to meet the specific healthcare needs of children, youth and families impacted by child welfare. This health plan includes key programs such as:
- Individualized support for families involved in the child welfare system, with a focus on reunification through the Early Childhood Courts.
- An adoption success program designed to support adopted children and their families with care management support to help meet a child’s physical and emotional health.
- Foster Care Centers of Excellence–a designation for providers who meet more than 50 criteria for serving children and youth in foster care with an expert level of services. These medical providers are highly trained in trauma informed care, health equity, and understand the complexities and nuances of families involved in child welfare.
"We are committed to being the single best health plan for children, youth, and families connected to child welfare, so are always looking to innovate, expand our programs, and partner to meet the needs of this population," said Coordinated Care President and CEO, Beth Johnson.
With this holistic and collaborative approach, Coordinated Care has shown improved outcomes including:
- A 3 out of 3-star rating for satisfaction of care provided to children, from the Washington State Healthcare Authority.
- The highest rate in the nation for the Follow-up After Emergency Department visit for Mental Illness Measure—meaning more children and youth in foster care in Washington receive the necessary follow up care more than anywhere else in the country.
"We know children and youth in the child welfare system have experienced significant trauma, and Coordinated Care continues to seek out the best ways to provide holistic care," said Coordinated Care Senior Medical Director and Health Equity Officer Usha Sankrithi, MD. "We have grown our Foster Care Centers of Excellence recently, with the goal to bring on additional clinics and providers so that every child, family, and caregiver in the child welfare system has access to quality care."
Coordinated Care has also invested in partnerships that impact wellbeing outside of a visit to a provider with partners such as Center of Children and Youth Justice, Treehouse’s Graduation Success program, Mockingbird Society, Maddie’s Place, Sibling Strong and many others.
"Coordinated Care has been a long-standing partner of our Graduation Success program," said Treehouse’s Chief Impact Officer, Jess Lewis. "With their generous support, we have been able to expand this program to serve young people in foster care statewide."
For further information about how Coordinated Care invests in solutions across Washington addressing social drivers of health, visit CoordinatedCarehealth.com/about-us/community.