CORRECTION: Due to an editing error, a previous version of the story misspelled Madhu Vulimiri's name. It is spelled with three I's. The article has been updated to reflect the change. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.
The UNC School of Education is partnering with Duke University and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to create a pilot program for a new Medicaid model.
The program, titled North Carolina Integrated Care for Kids, will integrate services from different agencies and providers to supply a variety of healthcare resources from childhood until the age of 21 in five North Carolina counties.
NC InCK was one of eight national programs selected for funding by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The funding began in January and will continue for seven years and up to $16 million.
Programs and services integrated with the pilot program include behavioral health, housing, food, child welfare and early childhood education.
“Duke and UNC came together because we wanted to do something good for children in our region,” Charlene Wong, executive director of NC InCK, said. ”What we’re really aiming to do is help build infrastructure and build bridges across all of these different areas that influence whether or not a child can reach their full potential.”
Stephanie Tippett is a mother of three living in Rougemont, North Carolina who said this initiative could benefit not just children, but families who struggle with substance abuse as well. She fosters a child who was born with drugs and alcohol in her system.
“When you’re talking about people who, maybe as adults, are already not faring so well themselves suddenly becoming caretakers for children, to have an agency maybe come in and say, ‘We can guide you during this process,’ that is pretty awesome sounding,” Tippett said.
The child Tippett fosters receives Medicaid care through the foster system. Tippett said she often found herself being resourceful in her searches for providers who accept Medicaid, and believes that having streamlined access to providers would be beneficial to the community.
