State Coalition Meeting
Baton Rouge Area Foundation
October 22, 2004 

Meeting Participants:  

Covering Kids & Families National Program Officers

Judi Cramer , Regional Coordinator, CKF National Program Office

Steering Committee members

Judy Watts , CEO/President, Agenda for Children

Suzy Sonnier , Ex. Director Children’s Cabinet, CKF Chairperson

Ruth Kennedy , Deputy Director, Medicaid

Dr. Joan Wightkin , MCH Director, Office of Public Health

Kyle Viator, LaCHIP Statewide Coordinator, Medicaid

Sharon Pomeroy , CKF Project Director

Nancy Buratto , Communications/Coalitions Coordinator CKF

Donna Winters , Coordinator,CKF Northeast Coalition

Torin Sanders , Coordinator,CKF Southeast Coalition

Lin Stewart , Coordinator,CKF Coalitions in Northwest, Central,

Southwest and South Central (Acadiana)

General Members

Sandra Bolton, Aftercare Ministries

Joann Derbonne, CHRISTUS St. Frances Cabrini Hospital

Carol Millwater, Children’s Coalition for the Bayou Region

Hope Himel- Benson, National Associa. of Social Workers, LA Chpter

Meg Pomeroy, Children’s Hospital

Sandra Faulk, Kingsley House Walker/Talker

Irness Wright-Irvin, LPHI, Cover the Uninsured Week Coordinator

Tonya Johnson, DOE Education Program Consultant

Terry Meeuwenberg, DSS Community Specialist

Donna Mathews, DSS Community Specialist

Mithra Bell, Medicaid Outreach Coordinator Region 1

Adline Reeves, Medicaid Outreach Region 1

Betty Stanley, Medicaid Outreach Coordinator Region 7

Shantrell Johnson, Kingsley House Walker/Talker

Hexter Bennett, Medicaid Outreach Coordinator Region 2

Geniece Piercy, Medicaid Area Manager Region 8

Carol Stephens, Medicaid Area Manager Region 4

Sue Fremin, Medicaid Outreach Coordinator Region 4

Theresa Fussell, Medicaid Outreach Coordinator Region 3

Susan Ledger, Medicaid Outreach Coordinator Region 5

Lester Turner, Medicaid Outreach Coordinator Region 6

Terri Neal, Community CARE Nurse

Kellie Graffagnino, Community CARE Nurse

Dana Aucoin, Community CARE Nurse 

MEETING AGENDA & Minutes  

• Welcome and Introductions – Suzy Sonnier, CKF Chairperson.

• State of the Southern Region - Nancy Pursley and Judi Cramer. To view presentation in PDF format click here.

• Profile of LA – Ruth Kennedy
  To view presentation in PDF format click here.

• LA Coalition Development / Progress- Suzy Sonnier gave an update on the Steering Committee Strategic Planning meeting that was held on Thursday Oct. 22 in New Orleans.
  To view presentation in PDF format click here.

• Policy and System Improvement Goals / Priorities

Process Improvement Collaborative Opportunity
- Nancy Pursley

Louisiana and 34 other CKF grantees were invited by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to submit a letter of intent to participate in the process improvement collaborative. This opportunity is a 12-month initiative designed to maximize the efficiency, effectiveness and accuracy of the enrollment and retention process of eligible adults and children in Medicaid and SCHIP. A four member team will represent our state, consisting of local eligibility personnel, state Medicaid official and state CKF office.

• Other business, events, etc..
• Health Care Reform Panel – next meeting in New Orleans , Dec. 14 th. The topic of this meeting will be the uninsured. CKF members are strongly encouraged to attend. CKF will have submitted a letter and a short ‘white paper’ to this panel of experts regarding the gains maintained by our Medicaid expansion and reforms initiated since November 1998. Both submissions will be available for your review before they are mailed to the panel on December 1, 2004 . We will send them for your review via the list-serve. Also we are asking that folks wear a CKF button to help generate awareness of our coalitions around the state. The buttons will be distributed out to members in the coming weeks. Please try to attend this conference.

• Governor’s Solutions to Poverty Summit – CKF members are also encouraged to attend this important and unique gathering. This is a special opportunity for members to be present and lend a voice to the importance of health and health care is the dialogue about creating stronger communities by alleviating poverty. Although health is not a direct topic, the connection to poverty integral. The four key topics will be 1. Education, 2. Job creations/economic development, 3. Community Assets, 4. Family Assets. The meeting will be held in Monroe on Dec. 6-7, 2004 . Also we are asking that folks wear a CKF button to help generate awareness of our coalitions around the state. The buttons will be distributed out to members in the coming weeks. Please try to attend this conference.

• New Medicaid Website - CHECK IT OUT!
  www.dhh.la.gov/medicaid

• Next state coalition meeting – TBA, new information to be posted on the CKF website, www.lacoveringkids.org