Access to quality healthcare in Kent County

KENT COUNTY, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - One in three children in Kent County relies on Medicaid for their medical coverage, but officials hope a new program will help more kids find primary care doctors and keep them out of the emergency room.

The four goals of the 'First Steps' initiative are tools for families, improving early learning opportunities, making children and families an urgent community priority and access to quality healthcare.

"Even though we're blessed with the latest in medical technology, we have a wonderful children's hospital, all the pediatric specialists we need, we can't provide all the kids in this county with the same quality and access to healthcare," said Dr. Tom Peterson, the medical director of CHAP.

Which is where the Chrildren's healthcare access program, or CHAPS, comes in. The program got off the ground Wednesday morning.

The group has partnered with Priority Health, the Helen Devos Children's Hospital, some medical clinics and private pediatric practices to improve the health of kids living in Kent County and to reduce the cost of providing healthcare by avoiding expensive emergency room visits.

According to group leaders, doctors are earning less than what it costs to treat sick kids on Medicaid, amking them less likely to accept Medicaid patients. The big question is how will First Steps fix the problem.

Priority Health is increasing the Medicaid reimbursement for sick child office visits at eligible sites, in exchange doctors will accept more Medicaid patients, giving about a thousand sick kids the care they need in the first year of the program.

Kim Horn, the president and CEO of Priority Health, says the results will speak for themselves. "Children that are healthier, happier. Families that won't be displaced by medical events and will have lower costs, if we can achieve that then we'll all be very proud."

Other services that the group plans to offer include in-home nurse visits, an asthma case manager, and free same-day transportation to doctors visits.