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Group works to insure children
A local coalition is working to ensure that children of the Valley receive health insurance.
YOUNGSTOWN — The number of children living without health insurance in the Mahoning Valley is about 2,800, according to the Ohio Family Health 2008-09 Survey.
The Mahoning Valley Covering Kids and Families Coalition, which formed a year ago, works to provide local support to Ohio’s State Children’s Health Insurance program and to lessen the number of uninsured children in the area.
As part of Cover the Uninsured Week 2009, the coalition celebrated its anniversary and discussed its accomplishments during an event Friday at the Jewish Community Center on Gypsy Lane.
“The health issues that affect our neighbors in need don’t stop at our respective county lines,” said Tom Krysiek, coalition co-chairman.
Through state programs, more than 990,000 children, including more than 63,000 in the Valley, are provided with health coverage, and the coalition’s goal is to make people aware that assistance is out there, he said.
The number of uninsured children dropped in Mahoning County over the past four years, from 2,607 to 1,133, according to the OFH Survey. Columbiana County has an estimated 1,087 uninsured children, and Trumbull County has 642, the survey states.
“We have a number of kids who aren’t taking advantage of the available resources, and I think those numbers will go up,” said Ginny Pasha, coalition co-chairwoman.
Because so many people are losing jobs in the tough economic times, they are also losing health benefits, she said.
Although the coalition reached out to more than 2,100 individuals the past year, more awareness can be spread about the state’s Healthy Start, Healthy Families program, said Krysiek.
“We plan on continuing to broaden our outreach and work as closely as possible with Jobs and Family Services as an adjunct to them,” Krysiek said.
Both Senate Minority Leader Capri Cafaro of Liberty, D-32nd, and state Sen. Joe Schiavoni of Canfield, D-33rd, attended the event to show their support for the importance of making health care available to all youths in the Valley.
“We’re continuing our commitment to health care for children,” Cafaro said.
“No matter the financial background, children should have the opportunity to have health insurance,” Schiavoni said. “Organizations like this [coalition] are key in the community and the country.”