Ryan, first lady Strickland to sound alarm on uninsured kids

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U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles

YOUNGSTOWN — Ohio first lady Frances Strickland and U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan are scheduled to be here Monday evening to raise awareness about an estimated 7,000 low-income Mahoning Valley children who are eligible for health insurance coverage, but are not getting it.

The event, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the Youngstown Community Health Center, 726 Wick Ave., comes on the first day of national Uninsured Week, designed to raise awareness about people without health insurance.

The important message, said Amy Swanson, executive for Ohio Voices for Children, is that there are 156,000 uninsured children in Ohio — 106,000 of whom, including 7,000 in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties, are eligible under the federal economic guidelines, but are not enrolled.

There are options for families with children, but they need to get informed and apply.

“People shouldn’t assume they make too much money. They should check it out. Federal poverty guidelines are upgraded every year, making more and more people eligible,” she said.

“This is really a program for working families,” said Matthew Stefanak, commissioner of the Mahoning County District Board of Health.

Swanson said the Mahoning Valley Covering Kids and Families Coalition was recently formed to help get the word out.

Also, there are other groups working in the Valley with the same purpose.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.