This post was written by Laura Kay Hurley, Project Director, Family Resource Network Navigator Program.
Strategy:
Provide education and outreach to the LGBT community on accessing healthcare and their rights under the Affordable Care Act.
Where and When it was Used:
At the beginning of June, The Family Resource Network shared information at the Annual NJ Pride Day in Asbury Park. FRN partnered with the Community Health Law Project to share a table at the event, since both agencies provide navigator services within Monmouth County. There were over 30,000 attendees at this event.
Best Practices to Replicate:
FRN printed and folded the following resource: http://healthcarebillofrights.org/Assets/Documents/BORwallet.pdf
This is a pocket size resource that people can put right in their wallet. This resource has the following Healthcare Bill of Rights on it:
- Right To Be Treated with Equality and Respect
- Right To Affirmation Of Your True Gender Identity
- Right To Help Designating Who Will Make Decisions For You
- Right To Visitation By Anyone You Choose
- Right To Your Privacy
- Right to Protections If You Are Discharged Due to Discrimination
Do not assume that the attendees who have come to participate in the event are the only people that you can talk to. Navigators circled the vendor area numerous times to introduce themselves to each vendor and explain how Navigators can assist with accessing health insurance. There were a lot of vendors at this event that were single employee business owners who did not have health insurance. They were very interested in what Navigators had to say about their options.
The Takeaways:
The Annual NJ Pride Day is a large event and it’s best if four Navigators are present at the event. For this reason, FRN recommends partnering with another Navigator agency within the area. This event was designed to provide education and outreach. After the event, FRN had many follow-up appointments with attendees to assist with the enrollment process. FRN was able to make onsite appointments and also had business cards of Navigators in each county so that an individual call a Navigator directly.
Be prepared! FRN Navigators used the resources below to help answer specific LGBT healthcare questions.
Additional Resources:
http://strongfamiliesmovement.org/assets/docs/where-to-start-what-to-ask.pdf
http://healthcarebillofrights.org/Assets/Documents/HCBOR.pdf
The Family Resource Network Health Insurance Navigator Program provides trained navigators to assist individuals in obtaining health insurance in the following counties: Monmouth, Ocean, Mercer and Middlesex Counties. FRN’s trained navigators can help you understand your healthcare options and assist in completing the application.
